Days 150-162 - BAD BLOGGER!!!

I have been a terrible, awful, no good, very bad blogger for the last two weeks.  Partly, because I've been crazy busy.  Also, because I have sucked it up big time in the workout department and am embarrassed about slacking.  Anyway, here's a quick recap.

Day 150 - So Nice They Named It Twice

Tucker and I drove to Walla Walla, WA to hang out with some of my former dance teammates from WSU.  Had a great time with Abby and Tracy.  I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time!  We did a little wine tasting, had a great dinner with the 50 and over crowd and won a little cash at a nearby casino.  Oddly enough, the phrase of the night was "Cheese Stick" thanks to the song "Like a G6."  I casually mentioned that I thought it sounded like they were saying "Now I'm feeling so fly like a Cheese Stick" and from that point on we were on a cheese stick mission.  Two basket of Cheese sticks later, mission accomplished.

Day 151 - Car Sick
I didn't get physically sick, but Tuck and I are sure tired of being in the car.  We drove 5 hours yesterday and another 3 today.  Charlie has finals this coming week and I have Linden cup, so we had a "prep day."  In other words, we got the house cleaned, took a long nap and took Tucker for an even longer walk so we can focus on nothing but school for the next few days.  I put in a few solid hours on my linden cup arguments, but quickly realized how much more I'll need to do in order to not let my partner down tomorrow when we meet.

Day 152 - Whoops...
 Looks like I should have put in more time on Linden Cup over Spring Break.  After doing nothing else all day, I'm still not sure I'll be prepared to give a sound argument tomorrow.  Fortunately my partner and I are in the same boat concerning our opinion of losing right away.  If we don't make it through the first rounds, we don't have to keep putting in this ridiculous amount of work...  Sounds like a win-win to me!

Day 153 - Let's Get Ready To Rumble
After a long day of class, tonight was the first round of Linden Cup.  Cherlyn and I won, but have no time to celebrate.  Tomorrow night we switch sides of the argument and I have NO idea what my arguments will be...  The night might be over, but the work is far from done.  Time to burn the midnight oil!

Day 154 - Tappa Tappa Tuesday
Class, dance classes and another round of Linden Cup.  We won so we'll be doing it all over again next Monday.  Yet again, no exercise to report.  BUT, tonight's GLEE was one of the best episodes yet!  They did original songs, which I have promptly downloaded.  I LOVE GLEE!

Day 155 - Hello Biceps!
I finally made it to the gym today for PiYo.  After a long day of class and having an LRW (legal research and writing) assignment due, I was in desperate need of both exercise and zen.  PiYo gives me the perfect combo of both.  After not going to PiYo or Yoga for 2 weeks, I certainly felt the pain.  The class instructor (who couldn't be cuter if she tried) corrected my body alignment in one of the plank-like positions.  Apparently I had been making it harder than it needed to be and had been putting too much weight into my arms when I should have been using more of my core.  Unfortunately, she didn't tell me until class was over.  I am not sure I'll be able to lift my arms to lap-top height to take notes in class tomorrow.  OUCH!!!

Day 156 - Basketball
Although I hate college basketball, I LOVE the first few rounds of March Madness.  Why only the first few rounds? Because my bracket is usually blown by the elite 8 and I no longer care who wins.  This year I've picked San Diego State to win it all.  I rushed home from employment law to watch them defeat Northern Colorado.  Once my butt was planted on the couch, I was pretty much stuck there for the rest of the night. 

Day 157 - Struggle
This morning started out with Street law.  The kids were great and the lessons went as planned.  As an added bonus, we played the kids the hit song from YouTube sensation Rebecca Black.  If you haven't heard her song "Friday" you are in for a treat.  It may just be the worst song in the history of the universe.  Enjoy.

I was supposed to attend a Con Law make up class after street law, but I got a call from Charlie that Tucker needed to go to the vet.  He had been throwing up and having stomach trouble so I ran home, picked up the pooch and took him to the vet.  Tucker was well behaved, but visibly distraught.  He kept looking at me like "If you really loved me we would leave!"  The vet put him on a bland diet (cottage cheese and rice) and told us to watch him for the next few days.  In the evening, I met with some of Maggie's Spokane Shock dancers who are interested in trying out for Sea Gals.  It was fun reviewing the "Do"s and "Don't"s of auditions.  After that, I made a quick trip to the gym to put in 45 minutes on the stair machine.

Day 158 - Spring Cleaning
Although we did a solid "pick up" effort last week, our house was certainly no where near clean.   It's not quite Spring yet, but today we got a jump on our Spring Cleaning.  It took ALL day.  Floors, windows, bathroom, kitchen, cupboards, refrigerator, load after load of laundry... It all got done.  A clean house makes such a difference to my stress levels.  I am much more relaxed knowing that I can see my reflection in my bathtub.  To celebrate our hard work, we took Jeffrey out for Mexican.  Not a bad day!

Day 159 - 8 miles too far
 I was due for another long run, so today I did 9.3 miles.  It was only about 8 miles too far in my opinion, but I got it done.  To give you an idea of the area I covered, know that I passed FOUR different grocery stores on my route.  It started to sprinkle during the last 3 minutes of my run.  Almost immediately after I stepped in the door it turned into a full down poor.  Thanks Running Gods for looking out for me on that one.

I had 3 meetings this afternoon, so I had to quickly shower post run and get back out the door.  The first was to review an assignment, the second was a board meeting of the Womens Law Caucus and the third was a dance studio instructor meeting.  I hobbled and limped to each and was thrilled to be able to put up my tired feet by the end of the night.  There's another round of Linden Cup tomorrow...  Yay.

Day 160 - Nerves
Charlie came to observe my Linden Cup round tonight and he totally threw me off my game.  I wanted him to come see that our time, money and stress devoted to law school was a worthwhile investment.  Instead, he saw his wife stumble and bumble over words.  I wouldn't say my performance was tragic, but it certainly wasn't my best.  Our win tonight was purely thanks to Cherlyn.  On to the Elite Eight!

Day 161 - Teenagers
I could NOT sleep last night.  I woke up around 2:45 and could not get back to sleep after that.  I wound up watching a movie on my phone hoping that I would conk out like I usually do during movies.  No such luck.  I can now proudly say, however, that I've seen the Disney Channel classic Camp Rock 2.

My severe lack of sleep and additional stress due to Linden Cup made me EXTREMELY cranky.  It took all my strength to not swear and walk out on my advanced tap class.  They really are great girls, but all of their emotional teenage nonsense was on level 9 (of 10) and I just did not have the energy.  I got through the class, but only barely.  After dance, I still had a two hour Community Property class to attend.  Thankfully, I find this area extremely interesting.  Otherwise, I would have fallen asleep at my desk.  Today's only exercise came in the form of teaching dance and the extra effort it took to keep my head up and eyes open.

Day 162 - Same old...
Yet another round of Linden Cup.  That meant a LONG day of classes and a long night of oral arguments.  We went up against a great team last night, so it was even more of an honor to win.  

Day 149 - Waterlogged



At the bottom of the hill by the Fair

 It rained a little in Puyallup during my hike today.  And by a little, I mean that if you took all the water from every lake in all the land and made it pour down from the sky in bullet like fashion, that's how hard it was raining.  I may as well have jumped in the ocean and then set off for the hill.

What hill?  Puyallup's very own South Hill.  The route?  Meridian.  How many times?  Twice.  That's right.  I hiked from Pioneer Park to Target TWICE in this ridiculous weather for a total of 7.6 rain soaked miles.

I had planned to hike Mt. Si alone, but Moo talked me out of it.  She heard they were doing avalanche blasting on the pass and didn't want me to drive/hike all that way on my own.  I appreciate her concern, but I think that hike would have been more scenic, dry and gas emission free.  Oh well.  I put in the hard work and got it done.  Only 117 days until I will be standing at the top of a mountain!!! 



At the top of the Hill by Target



After the hike, I met up with Hooligan in South Center to see The King's Speech.  Collin Firth was unbelievably good and the movie it self was great.  It wasn't as exciting/edgy as Black Swan, smart as The Social Network, or as sexy as the Fighter (oh Marky Mark, I love you and your abs).  BUT, all around it was a good movie and I can understand why it won the Oscar for best picture.  You really care about the characters and want so badly for them to succeed. 

I watched a little tv with Moo and called it a night.  I didn't get much school work done, but it was otherwise a nice day.

Day 148 - Mardi Gras

After all that I consumed yesterday, this day is rightly titled FAT TUESDAY.

I came across this as a was searching for some music on my computer.  Nothing says GO RUN FATTY like several images of your formerly skinny self!

I had lunch with Moo today and did some work on my Linden Cup arguments. Although it took me all afternoon to lace up my running shoes, I eventually got out the door for a 3 mile run. Unfortunately, there were once again a lot of hills. After my long and hill covered run on Sunday, my legs were begging for a flat stretch, but no such road could be found. I am ashamed to say that I walked a bit.

After the run, I grabbed Tucker for a walk. My little guy is definitely more happy on this side of the state. He's been on more walks in the last 3 days than he has in the last month. I'm looking forward to a little Glee with Moo and a good nights sleep before a long hike tomorrow.

Day 147 - 26 years

Today was my 26th birthday.  It started at the beach cabin with the traditional birthday breakfast.  It's delicious, but terrible for the diet.  Let's just say that the topping alone is equal parts butter, vanilla ice cream and brown sugar....  I'll be running extra this week.

Charlie had to teach a lesson tonight in Spokane, so I had to get him to the airport around noon.  After dropping him off, Tucker and I enjoyed spending time with some of my former coworkers in Seattle.  Then we were off to Lakewood to pick up my little sis from her stint as a manager for the boy's baseball team.  I love the girl, but she made me wait an hour at a baseball practice for a team she's not on.  I totally could have finished the episode of Real Housewives of Orange County that was DVR'd.  LAME SISTER! 

I took her out for some sister bonding/birthday dinner at BJ's pizza.  I LOVE  that pizza.  YUM!  Thank god we got a small, because I think we would have devoured a large.  After hanging out at my dad's for a bit, I headed back to my mom's to crash for the night.  Thanks for the b-day texts/emails everyone!  No exercise today, but I'll be back at it tomorrow!

Day 146 - Hills

I FINALLY got a solid long run in and it was a doozy!  The terrain at the beach is a bit on the hilly side. There is not a flat stretch of land in sight.  In other words, my 7 mile run was simply a delight.  I apparently have not done enough training on hills (go figure since all of them in Spokane are covered in ice), because I REALLY had to dig deep to finish the run.  There were several times when I wanted to stop and turn back or call Charlie to pick me up.  But, I pushed through and finished.  I am certain it will hurt to stand up tomorrow, but at least I can say I did it!  Now I won't feel nearly as guilty about the ridiculous quantity of food I consumed this weekend and intend to consume tomorrow (that's what birthdays are for, right?!).

The rest of the day was spent enjoying cable at the beach cabin while Charlie studied.  I watched some Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a little Cake Boss, the Amazing Race and Holly's World (which I didn't even know existed until today, but was probably smarter then than I am now...).  Oh cable, I miss thee so.  Some day we shall be reunited!

Day 145 - Jon Boy

Today my Step-brother Jon, his wife and her niece came up to hang out at the beach cabin.  I don't get to see them very often, but I definitely enjoy the time we do get to spend together.  We probably walked for close to an hour up and down the beach with Tucker and their dog, Hiccup.  Other than a little bit of walking while shopping earlier in the day, I don't have more exercise to report.

I am not a big cake fan, so every year my mom makes me popcorn balls with peanuts, M&M's and gum drops for my birthday.  Since she is out of town visiting Chad in San Diego, I got to make them this year.  Jennelie (sp?) helped me make the treats while Charlie, Jon and Iridia (Jon's wife) got caught up on life.  I am REALLY looking forward to living near these guys in the future.  Later we went in to town for Mexican.  The food was great and the company was even better.  Iridia cracks me up.  I'm surprised I didn't get a stomach ache from laughing so hard.  Another perfect day at the beach!

Day 144 - Spring Break!!!

I woke up this morning with out a doubt in my mind about what job I should take.  When I called to accept the offer, I was even more certain.  I know it is going to be a great fit and I am excited to get started. 

Because I had a to-do list that was a mile long, I forced myself to get up and to the gym early this morning.  I put in a solid 45 minutes on the rotating stair machine while I read through some notes for a big employment discrimination case file that I have to work on for the next couple of weeks.  I worked my brain and my bod.  GO ME!

After a quick meeting with a professor about and upcoming assignment and packing for the week, we were off to the beach!  I LOVE SPRING BREAK!!!!  This will be my last true Spring Break, so I am going to try to enjoy every last second of it.  Besides there being a ton of snow and wind while coming over the pass, I'd say this Spring Break is off to a great start!

Day 143 - Decisions!

In this market, I have absolutely no right to complain and am running the risk of sounding like a total jerk, but I nearly lost it when I received a second job offer today.  Charlie and I were so excited and prepared to accept the first offer.  Then came an email from the other organization I interviewed with last week.  Although it would look nice on my resume, I REALLY do not like the idea of having to work there for 8 months.  I am completely torn.

Since Charlie doesn't get home until late on Thursdays, I was sitting on this information alone for several hours before I could talk it through with him.  I had a glass of wine to settle myself down.  Then I had a second glass, because the first just tasted SOOOO good.  I didn't make it to the gym, but I think I burned several calories by sitting with my butt cheeks clenched and my fists balled while tapping my foot in nervous anticipation for several hours.  My gut is telling me to go with the first offer, but I don't want to make a decision that could change the course of my career without giving it full consideration.

Day 142 - GaGa

Holy Moly I did not want to go for a run today, but I am SOOOOO glad I did.  Thanks again to Spokane's preference for snow and ice over sunshine, I was resigned to workout at the gym.  Agian.

A few days ago I created a new running playlist, so I decided to give it a try today.  Thank God I did!  The four mile run felt great and was over in no time!  Good music always helps me push through difficult workouts.  Here's part of what I listened to today:

Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida
Dog Days Are Over - Florence & The Machine
Everything (I-Soul Remix) - Michael Buble
I'm Not OK - My Chemical Romance
S&M - Rihanna
Thriller/Heads Will Roll - Glee Cast
When I Get You Alone - Glee Cast

These songs may not be for everyone, but they sure kept me moving!  OH!  And, the best part of today was that I received a job offer for this Summer and the Fall!!!  YAY!!!  I am extremely excited to work with this organization and look forward to starting in May!

Day 141 - Standard

Just a typical Tuesday.  School, dance classes and more school.  If I am going to make it the gym on these days, I am going to have to do it EARLY in the morning, because by the time I'm done at 8:30 PM, I AM DONE.