Terribly Sick!

This week I've come down with an awful flu!  I've had a touch of a cold here and there off and on ever since December when I picked something up from Chuck while visiting Boise for Christmas.  But this last week I went home sick Wednesday afternoon and called in sick Thursday and Friday!  It was such a disappointment because I was supposed to go with Amanda, Rich, Trisha, Jeff and all the kids to the McGowan's cabin in Tahoe.  Unfortunately I was stuck at home, hacking and coughing harder than I ever have in my life.  Over a six day period I made several trips to Walgreens for alka-seltzer severe cold and flu medicine as well as Trader Joe's for chicken noodle soup.  Saturday I decided to make the most of my captivity and pulled out my Sailor Moon DVD's.  I've been watching Season one and so Saturday I finished up Season two and had Season three (my favorite) all lined up on the TV.

I watched Sailor Moon and created my blog book from 2012.  I can't wait to get feeling better again so I can get back to lifting weights in the morning and jogging at lunch, I was doing such a great job on getting in shape this year and this flu just took me down!

A Tamarack Engagement

This Friday I flew back to Idaho with my roommate and friend, Katelynn.  We didn't tell Emily that Katelynn was coming too, so we could surprise her!  When we got in my parents picked us up at the airport and we headed back to their house where we started to get ready for our drive up to Tamarack.  Once we had our things packed in the Ford Explorer we decided to get some shopping done at the Boise Factory Outlet Mall.  We both bought a pair of shoes at the Bass shoe store and then shopped around through Levis and Van Heusen.  Our last stop was the chocolate factory where I nabbed some sweet treats for up at the cabin.  On our way back to the car I took a picture with Katelynn and her first "Snow" in Idaho.

We drove over to Chuck and Emily's apartment.  Neither of them were home yet, so we waited.  Emily was the first one home so I had Katelynn wait in the car and I met Emily at the apartment.  Then Katelynn came up and knocked on the door.  Emily answered it and was totally shocked to see Katelynn!  It was a great surprise and I'm glad we pulled it off.  Then we all got to catch up before Chuck got home from work and then the four of us hopped into the Explorer and headed up to Tamarack.  That night we had some pizza and played games and caught up with our friends Sarah & Jeremiah Day, Andrej Roncevic and Tiffany Allred.

Saturday Chuck and Emily headed into town as did Sarah and Jeremiah.  Andrej, Tiffany, Katelynn and me went snowshoeing!

We ended up going about a half mile from the cabin and then Andrej got very tired.  He is struggling right now with his limes disease.  So he and Tiffany turned back towards the cabin.  Katelynn and I decided to set our sights on the frozen lake and see if we could walk out onto the ice.  As we got closer, we saw people out ice fishing, playing and riding snow mobiles across the lake.  Guess it was safe!  We were pretty nervous and didn't go too far, but we did go out onto the ice!  You can see our route on my runkeeper.  The map is hilarious because you can see the path we took go out on top of the water.  Check it out, there's also lots of pictures posted, too.

That afternoon we took a dip in the hot tub with a bloody mary courtesy of Katelynn.  I got warmed up pretty quick and after all the snowshoeing was ready for a nap!  I crashed for a few hours.  That night, Andrej made his traditional Croatian dinner we're always requesting.  He stretches the dough out on a sheet and then dribbles bits of meat and onions all over it then uses the sheet to roll the dough into two cylinders.  Then he puts several of these in pans and bakes them.  Delicious, as always!

After dinner we played some version of kings cup and with the drinks I'm sure I shared all sorts of things that will never leave Tamarack!  HAHA!  Then someone had the idea to head downtown Tamarack to the little bar there.  Oy vey.  Upon arrival, some rich guy was buying rounds for everyone and somehow I ended up taking two shots with Tiffany.  Then Chuck was asking me how to make an AMF and then I had some horribly toxic brew in my hand being passed off as an AMF.  Of course I couldn't just not drink it- ugh.  haha.  Katelynn and Tiffany were having a blast with all sorts of attention from the guys at the bar.  What a crazy night!

At some point when the snow was falling Saturday night and I had curled up to sleep on the couch sleeping off my drinks, Chuck proposed to Emily!  I wish I'd been awake and sober to see it; but it was a special moment for just the two of them and I'm so happy for them both.  Of course, Emily said yes- I think!?  :)  So it's official, Emily is my future sister-in-law and I couldn't be happier!  Can't wait for the wedding and all the fun that will be- Love you both so very much!

Sunday Jeremiah put together breakfast for me and Katelynn.  As usual I wasn't quite myself Sunday morning.  hehe.  We had some tasty egg mcmuffins thanks to Jeremiah's cooking skills.  The weekend came to an end all to quickly and it was time to head back home.  I truly treasure my annual trip to Tamarack and the life long friends made here.

Blueberry Cobler

Tonight Emma and Katelynn united their powers for good and created a homemade blueberry cobler!  WOW!  Katelynn had some blueberry's and Emma said she could make a cobler and tada!  We added some vanilla ice cream and enjoyed our indulgence 

Sometimes you can really feel the roommate love!  Thanks ladies!

20 Mile Jog & Falafel!

Jeff Ramos, Trisha Torgrimson and Jaime Nau are training up for the Napa Valley Marathon.  So of course, I'm running with Jeff when I can on his longer runs.  Today we started at Jeff and Trisha's place in Santa Rosa and we ran out through Sebastapol clear to Graton road.  You can see the route and picture on my Runkeeper.  When Jeff and I ran 16 miles a few weeks back I'd felt terrible- not this weekend!  I took care to rest up the night before and also brought along water and running fuel.  It felt great!  After this run I was highly motivated to run the Napa Valley marathon with Jeff in a few weeks- but they are all sold out so it's probably not in the cards.

Afterwards I went home and took a nap.  Then I was ferociously hungry so I took a ride on my motorcycle over to King Falafel near Olivers and had my favorite guilty pleasure- a deluxe Falafel wrap.  Mmmmm!  For some reason I'd been craving real coke in a bottle, but I didn't even finish it.  I think my body just wanted more water!  haha.  What a nice weekend.

Napa Valley Ride

Today I decided to take my motorcycle for it's first ride over to Napa Valley.  I parked my bike downtown Napa and walked around to see what place looked like a good spot for a meal.

I came across a nice looking place called Ristorante Allegria.  It was kind of fancy for a guy in motorcycle gear, but I figured what the heck; I'm a paying customer!  I'm so glad I went in and ate here.  I had the crab cakes for an appetizer and a chicken ceasar salad for dinner.  Deeeeelish!

Zombies; Run!

This week I came across a new app for my iPhone- Zombies; Run! Both Trisha and I noticed it being advertised on our Runkeeper pages and we were curious about it. I read the reviews and then decided to spring for the $3.99 app- which is rare for me I generally only use free apps. I'm so glad I downloaded it; I can't underscore what an absolute blast it is!

Today was the first day I used it, for my normal lunch jog. I activated "Zombie Chases".

Your phone starts out with an audio mission- you crash land on your way to a base in a world overrun by zombies. Your only chance of survival; RUN! As you're running, the phone plays your music and after each song you get an audio update. At any point; zombies can "appear" and you have to outrun them by running at least 20% faster than your average pace. If they catch you they will steal any supplies you've picked up along the route. I'm looking forward to the next mission and building up my base and most importantly- Zombies; RUN!!!

Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon

You can track the time of year by the races I'm running- and here it is; the first weekend in February. Time for the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon! The picture of me was taken by one of the professional photographers on the course. I don't generally buy the pictures, but I thought this was a pretty darn good one! I ended up running the race at about an 8 minute mile average- VERY good pace for me. I'm not sure how I did it! You can see the race route and picture on my Runkeeper activities here. I had a lot of fun, passing people almost the entire time. I even saw two other Tinkerbell shirts both of whom were equally ecstatic to say hello and wish each other well.

I drove down with my co-workers Mike and Erin. This was Erin's first half marathon! She was a little nervous, but she did great! She and Mike both made a good time and had a lot of fun doing it. The length of the race along the great highway is rough- the road isn't the best and it's the same scenery for about 7 miles; but the view of the ocean sure is nice. I'm glad I went with these guys and hope we have more races together in our future!

Emma's Birthday Night Out

Tonight Katelynn, David, Emma and me went out for Emma's birthday! We started out at Chrome Lotus for some drinks and dancing. We took a lot of pictures, but this was the best one (Thanks David!). There was definitely some good dancing on the floor and the mixes were coming pretty fast. I liked that the DJ kept it centered on the Chorus; but he didn't let it mix very long so the favorite songs came and went really fast.

Then we popped over to Epic and danced some there. Not my favorite club; and I was winding down for the night especially since I had a half marathon the next day in San Francisco and had to be up at 4:45 am! Thankfully Evan came and picked us up and we all headed home. I think i got to bed before 2am- fun night out with my roommates!

Mt. Tamalpais Motorcycle Ride

Today I rode my bike down to Marin to meet up with my friend Ben for a ride. Ben purchased my 2001 Kawasaki 6r from me back in October. We rode from the Bel Air mall west towards the ocean and drove down highway 1, one of my favorite routes for sure! We stopped at the Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station for lunch.

On the way home, Ben still wanted to ride some more so we went up to the top of Mt. Tamalpais. I never knew there was such a breathtaking view of the whole north bay area!