Day 197 - Unexpected Exercise

Today I had the opportunity to squeeze in a great 2 mile training hike with a 30lb bag to help
me prepare for Rainier. Unfortunately, this opportunity was made possible thanks to my car crapping out on the drive home. Charlie was in class and I didn't feel comfortable leaving bags in my car (especially after the break in just before New Years Eve), so I grabbed my dance bag and law school back pack stuffed with humongous legal texts and my lap top and headed for home.

Still not feeling very well, I chose to wear a pair of Charlie's extra large sweats, a ratty old t-shirt and a sweatshirt to school today. Paired with my two bags and unstyled hair, I'm certain I looked stunningly homeless during my long walk home.

Day 196 - Like Puppies

I was still feeling pretty sick today and dreaded having to teach my dance classes tonight.  I usually love this mid-week break from all things law school related, but today I just didn't have the energy.  I even posted on my facebook that my mantra for the day was "I will not let 4 year olds make me cry."  Thankfully, my tots dancers were astute like puppies to my not feeling well.  They were extra cute, calm and kind. My advanced dancers, not so much. There may have been profanity.  These pre-teens were in rare form and it took all my strength to not kick them in the shins with my tap shoes.

After dance, I had to zip back to school for my last community property class.  Our professor spent the entire 2 hour period giving a rapid fire review of what we should expect to see on the exam.  I tried to type furiously everything he said, but I kept having to fight little coughing fits every few minutes.  Our professor is soft spoken, so  I think my classmates were about ready to kill me each time I coughed.  Sorry guys!  Shoulda kept your germs to yourself instead of getting me sick!

Day 195 - TBS

The long drive back to Spokane resulted in serious case of Tired Butt Syndrome.  Thanks to some construction on I5, we got to add an extra hour and 15 min to the typical 5 hour drive.  Not a lot else to report about today.

Day 194 - Stains and Sniffles

Hiking yesterday was a bad choice.  I knew Friday that I wasn't feeling 100%, but I had hoped it was just allergies.  During yesterday's hike, I began to suspect that maybe I had a cold.  Today, it is obvious.  I AM SICK.

Charlie and I were up early dressed in our Easter finest to surprise my grandparents who were up visiting my mom.  We joined them for church and then headed back home for naps before company came over.  In the process, I somehow managed to get grease from the door of Charlie's jeep all over the front of my beautiful dress.  Because we are staying with Charlie's family this weekend in Gig Harbor, I only had a pair of ratty old sweats to wear the rest of the day.  Its a good thing my family and family friends are the "accept you as you are" type.

It was nice to have a chance to visit with everyone, but I was pretty miserable the entire time.  When the company left, I broke down in tears.  I don't get sick too often (knock on wood), but when I do I am a total baby.  This was no exception.  I had a great day with everyone, but I was exhausted and wanted to go to bed. Charlie drove us back to the Gig as I sneezed, sniffled and groaned the whole way.  Happy Easter!

Day 193 - Snot Rockets

Today I hiked to the top of Mt. Si with some of the members of the team I'll be climbing Mt. Rainier with. This was a bad choice. I've been experiencing what I thought were allergy symptoms, but now I'm thinking this may be a full fledged cold. I greeted my climbing team with a series of snot rockets, hacking coughs and wheezes. I without a doubt was uncomfortable during the four mile up hill climb. I am sure they were down right repulsed. Sorry guys!  Here's a view from the top.

Day 192 - Meerkat Love

During a trip to the zoo (my favorite place in the whole world) with my sister Joy, I got to enjoy watching the meerkats while the meerkats enjoyed each other... Spring Fever was in full force!  Several of the animals were feeling a little frisky.  In addition to a little extra loving, Spring also means allergies.  There is definitely something in the air today making my nose itch and eyes water.

Joy and I spent several hours walking around the Zoo, so we figured that was enough exercise for the day.  I considered going for a run, but decided against it as the allergies got worse throughout the day.  Plus, I am going for an 8 mile hike tomorrow.

When I got back to the Hilen House, I was told to go change sweatshirts so we could take some sibling photos.  Here are a two of my favorites.

Day 191 - Holy Snow!

After turning in my LR&W assignment, putting in 45 min on the stair machine at the gym and attending class, Charlie and I packed to head home for the long Easter weekend. We have made the drive from Eastern WA too Western WA too many times to count. Our parents always ask as soon as we step in the door, "how was the pass?". Our common retort is "fine." This time? "It was F'ing awful!"

There wasn't any snow on the ground, but it was snowing so hard that it was dizzying.  I had to slow to about 25-30mph and still couldn't see at all where I was going.  I put my trust in the car in front of me that he could see some sort of lines on the road, because I sure couldn't.  We made it home safely, but were ready to head straight to bed.

Day 190 - Leotards

I come up with a TON of GREAT ideas.  One after another, these light-bulb-above-the-head worthy ideas zip into my brain.  And then I think about them for a little longer... and let them go.  For example, today I got the genius idea to go out into the garage and dig around around in a few boxes in search of an old leotard so I could wear it to ballet tonight.  I tried it on, found and old skirt and set it near my backpack so I could take it with me for the day.  Then, after some thoughtful consideration, I realized that the "stuffed sausage" look has never been attractive.  Ever.  On anyone.  So, I let that idea go and grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a tank top.

Ballet is such a welcome change to my now typical workout routine.  Because I am still crazy out of shape, the barre exercises alone are enough to get a good sweat going.  Not to mention the whole clench your butt and every muscle up and down your core as you attempt to hold your leg in the air thing...  There's a reason ballerina's have ballet bodies.  IT IS A WORKOUT!

Tracy joined me tonight, which made class even more enjoyable.  I tried my hardest not to be a distraction, but I'm 26 and if I don't want to hold the splits anymore, no instructor who I could easily snap in half is going to make me hold them a second longer.  Tracy was much better at following instructions. 

I also pretty much finished my LR&W contract.  I'll look at it once again in the morning, but other than that I am DONE!!!  (insert party dance here).

Day 189 - Life Saver

Today was like a typical Tuesday, except that I again conquered two of my worst fears in the name of giving back to my community (whether I like Spokanistan or not).  That's right, I donated blood.  I don't really want to talk about it, because the thought of it makes me nauseous.  But, I did it.

One of the perks of donating is that you are advised not to exercise.  REST DAY!!!  I still had to teach my dance classes, but besides that I took it pretty easy.  There were no "accidents" in dance today.  So that was nice.  The little germ factories had an incessant need to touch me, though.  This would be a REALLY crappy time for me to get sick, so I lathered myself in hand sanitizer as I left the studio.

The rest of the night was spent in Community Property and watching GLEE!  I wasn't overly impressed with last night's Glee.  It is still my favorite show on television, but I am ready for Holly Holliday to go away.  Also, I'm getting a little tired of the all the solos.  I sure group numbers require more time to rehearse, but those are the numbers that I re-watch over and over again for weeks after the original air date.  And those are my 2 cents.

Day 188 - Oh Spokane...

Having not gone on my long run this weekend, I had to make up for it today.  WHAT. A. DISASTER.  I went to my first two classes and zipped home to run before needing to return for labor law.  Having checked the weather and hour-by-hour forecast approximately 4 times (of course while in class), I felt confident that I could do a quick (haha) 9 mile run and be done hours before it was supposed to rain.  

SNOW?!

Well, it didn't rain...  But a mile into the run it started to snow.  Yes, on April 18th it snowed an inch and a half in Spokane, WA.  I believe that makes reason #582 on the list of Why I Hate Spokanistan.  If the snow wasn't bad enough, I also managed to trip and concurrently drop and shatter my iPhone screen.  It still works just fine, but it doesn't look pretty.

Sun so bright I needed to squint...

Around mile 8, it stopped snowing and I was still going strong.  Oddly enough, the sun came out and I wished I had my sun glasses.  Snow clouds loomed in the distance in all directions, but the end of my run was in the sun.  I decided to extend my usual 9 mile route and wound up doing 11.3 miles.  I'm not sure how well I'll be walking tomorrow, but for the most part I felt pretty darn good.  I will likely only do 8-9 miles next weekend while home for Easter, but will probably attempt between 13-14 miles the following weekend.  If all goes as planned, I may survive this marathon after all!  I certainly won't be setting a personal record, but I just may finish!

Of course the sun didn't last.  Here's what it looked like on my drive back down to school.

Day 187 - WINNING!!!

What a productive day!  It started early with a Conflicts make up class at 10.  I love my professor, but a 10AM class on a Sunday is nothing short of painful.  Since I was already at school, I figured I'd spend the rest of the day studying.  I've got two big projects on my plate at the moment.  I am still working on my LR&W contract and now have an Employment Discrimination case file.  I met with two of my classmates to review the case file and made a dent in the work required to complete it.  I'm not much of a fan of study groups, but I respect these guys and appreciate the opportunity to bounce ideas off of them.

This afternoon, the Sons of Pitches had our third and final softball game.  WE WON!!!  Yes, this was co-ed inter-mural C-League softball... But it was my very first team sport win.  EVER!  I am  thinking of having a trophy made and throwing myself a pizza party. (That's what my brother's baseball teams always did at the end of the season). 

 

My contributions to the win were minor in comparison to the three home runs hit by three of our boys.  Being the home team, we were the last to bat.  When we scored the run that put us in the lead, you would have thought we had just won the World Series.  There were chest bumps and high fives all around.  Charlie even stopped by to witness the Epic Win and took me out to the Spaghetti Factory to celebrate.  Thanks Sons of Pitches for a great season!!!

Day 186 - Uppercut

Although I've already added mountain climbing and yoga to my list of interests this year, but I think I may also need to add boxing/kick boxing.  Today, on a whim, I decided to give the Combat X class at the gym a try.  It was a circuit class that incorporated different boxing, weight lifting and cardio exercises.  I had know idea how much pent up anger/stress/rage I had inside of me until I was turned loose on my sparing partner.  There is something EXTREMELY therapeutic in being able to punch the heck out of her hand held blocking pads (I have no idea what they are really called...).  I bounced away from the class sweaty, but full of life and a restored sense of joy.  I'm pretty certain I never want to actually receive a punch that connects with my face or body, but I may need to look into a boxing gym...

After a little housework, Charlie and I decided to show our Cougar love and went to the WSU Crimson v. Grey Scrimmage.  Of course, because we are ridiculous, we dressed in matching outfits.  We don't do this intentionally, but because our wardrobes are each 50% Cougar apparel, the odds of us grabbing similar attire are high. I don't think we'll be leading the Pac-10 this year, but the Cougs looked pretty darn good.  The offense looked strong and the defense delivered a few hits that made me cringe.  I'm thinking we just may pull off 3 wins this year!  Go Cougs!

We had hoped to rectify the matching outfit situation before heading to the Casino for Maggie's birthday, but we just ran out of time.  It's a good thing our friends love and accept us for who we are.  For the most part, they were all dressed to the 9's in formal club wear.  Then there were the Hilens in jeans and white Coug sweatshirts with wind blown hair.  We enjoyed a nice dinner with everyone and then made our way into the casino.  Although we didn't lose the farm, we certainly didn't walk away winners.  Charlie and I have sworn off gambling until we have "real" jobs.  Although we enjoy the entertainment aspect of the casino, the budget would prefer that we rent a movie instead.

I had hoped to stay out drinking and dancing with some of my favorite former Crimson Girls, but I've got a 10 AM make up class to attend tomorrow morning.  If I had stayed to party with them, I'd be lucky if I could get myself out of bed before 2PM.  Love you girls!  Hope you had a great time!

Day 185 - Love those guys!

WHAT A BUSY DAY!  Knowing that there would be little down time, I woke up early to go for a run.  That statement grossly under-represents the process that occurred.  I set my alarm last night for 5AM so I could be at the gym by 5:15.  When I actually got out of bed at 5:30, I didn't feel much like exercising.  I told myself that if it wasn't raining outside, I would go for a quick run.    I managed to get out of bed and look at the window.  For the first time in a long time, I prayed for rain.  No such luck.  The streets were bone dry.  I stood frozen between the window and my bed for a solid 2 minutes.  The devil on my left shoulder kept telling me that I need to rest up for finals and that Charlie will still love me if I'm fat.  The angel on my right shoulder shouted that if I didn't go for the run, I may die during my marathon or mountain climb.

The angel won and I was out the door.  I only ran 3 miles and it was bitterly cold outside, but I enjoyed every second of it.  I had regained admittance to a very exclusive club, the Before 6 Outdoor Exercisers.  I jogged past several other walkers, bikers and runners who like me, had abandoned the warmth and comfort of their beds to hit the pavement.  The sunrise was stunning, the air was fresh and the endorphins were flowing.

First on the to-do list today was Street Law.  The kids did a great job and seemed earnestly sad that this would be the last time we'd be together.  Plus, the cupcakes I made received rave reviews.  After Street Law, I went to the library to work on my LR&W contract for a few hours before meeting Charlie for lunch.  We took advantage of the delicious $5 menu at the Safari room in the Davenport Tower.  YUM!!!

Then it was back to the library until the Myra Bradwell Ceremony.  This is what I wore.  Cute, huh?!

 Myra is an awards ceremony during which the Women's Law Caucus recognizes a Gonzaga alum who has made significant contributions to women in the legal profession or general women and children's rights.   I had to leave the reception a little early to make it home in time for dinner.  Doug and Audrey were not only coming over, but they were cooking!!!  I had helped them move a few weeks ago, but they certainly outdid themselves.  They brought all the fixins for deluxe tacos and some DELICIOUS sangria.  Thanks guys!  We haven't enjoyed a homemade feast that amazing in... well, ever.

Day 184 - Fire in the Oven

Yeah, we had a fire.  I volunteered to make cupcakes for my final Street Law class and the unit on the bottom of the oven caught on fire while it was preheating.  I turned off the oven, but a flame persisted and it started to shoot sparks.  I'm not electrician, but I can't imagine that's a good thing.  Upon direction of the husband, I flipped the circuit breaker for the kitchen appliances.  This put out the flame, but did not remedy the "I need 4 dozen cupcakes by the morning" situation. 

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't catch his name, but our apartment sent over an amazing repair man to put things back in working order.  He opened the oven and tapped the element, which caused the whole thing to shatter.  He wasted no time in getting a replacement element and installing it so I could get back to my baking.  By the time the cupcakes were finished, it was 10:00 and I still hadn't eaten dinner.  Needless to say, I didn't make it to the gym.  Maybe tomorrow...

Day 183 - Cookies for Miles

As today was the last time that my LRW (Legal Research and Writing) class would meet, our professor (the much loved and adored Professor Beckett) brought in cookies.  I ate FOUR small snickerdoodles.  By today's cookie standards, they really were small cookies.  So I don't feel too terrible about the quantity.  They were just sooo good that three wasn't going to be enough, but five was certainly excessive...

I had only planned to run 3 miles today.  But I ate four cookies, so I chose to run 4 miles. If only I had that determination every day...  Although, it may just result in an increase of cookie consumption.

Day 182 - Urine

Today, one of my tiny dancers had an accident on the dance floor.  I got it cleaned up and class went on just fine, but all I can say is "there's not enough wine in all the land..."

Day 181 - Produce Aisle

Today, for the first time in a LONG time, I spent some significant time in the produce aisle.  Charlie and I are going to try to eat just chicken, fruit and veggies for dinner this week.  Our dinners are typically VERY heavy with red meat, carbs, cheese and cream sauces.  It's no wonder the scale hasn't budged in weeks!  I've been exercising like crazy, but eating like crap.  NOT THIS WEEK!

Besides shopping, I had a typical day of Monday classes and a friend joined me for yoga.  Not too shabby.

Day 180 - Cruisin

If you aren't sitting down, I suggest you take a seat.  Charlie got out of bed before 9 AM on a weekend to exercise.  No joke.  It really happened.

Charlie and I took advantage of some early morning sun by hitting the Centennial Trail.  We went for an 11 mile bike ride and it felt amazing.  I'm not much of a bike-rider, but Charlie really enjoys it so I tag along.  I have a bike that has 3 options for hardness on the left side and 7 more options on the right side.  I have no idea what these are for.  I think they have something to do with adjusting the difficulty up or down when you are going up hill, but I can't say for sure.  Although there were a few hills, I decided to just stick with a 2 on the left side and a 5 on the right.  Not sure why, but I didn't die so I'll probably stick with it next time.

In addition to the bike ride, I also had a softball game today.  The Sons of Pitches showed signs of major improvement.  I got a double and scored an RBI.  Katie Sinclair made an amazing play at third to close out an inning.  Going into the final inning, we were even a run ahead.  But alas, we lost.  We've got one more shot next Sunday to save a little face and win a game.  Like the little boy in Angles in the Outfield said "It could happen."

After the game, Charlie and I set out on a mission.  We had been tipped off to a place in the Valley that sold true California Burritos.  A lot of places in Spokanistan pretend to have California burritos, but none of them have the requisite carne asada, potatoes and fresh cilantro.  We called ahead to ensure that this place really did put potatoes in their burritos.  When they said yes, I think Charlie's heart skipped a beat and we were on our way.

It was everything we dreamed of and more.  Very little about Spokane has felt like "home", but those burritos brought back some amazing memories of our last home, San Diego.  As you can see, Charlie was so happy he was almost reduced to tears.

 I can't blame the guy.  I thoroughly enjoyed my burrito as well.  Without question, we will be back.

Day 179 - 9 Miles and Murder

Today I ran my 9 mile route again.  It was painful, but I got it done.  I over dressed for the run, which is shocking because it must mean that the temps are finally rising in Spokanistan.  The ONLY time I prefer to be a little cooler than too hot is when I'm running.  Thankfully, Charlie met me at the halfway point with some water and took home my fleece vest and hat.

This evening, I went back in time to the roaring 20's.  A group of my peers and I won a Murder Mystery Dinner with some of our favorite professors at an auction.  As promised, it was a night full of good food, lots of laughs and of course, MURDER.  I (via my character) committed two murders.  One with an envelope opener and another with a cement filled purse.  When I got home, I enjoyed the rest of the evening cuddling with the hubs on the couch.  WINNING!

Day 178 - Sons of Pitches

Today, I made my softball debut.  I am the star catcher of the Sons of Pitches team in Gonzaga's intramural co-ed "C" league.  Look out world, I may have found my new calling.  Or not...

Besides flag football 1L year, this is my first organized team sport.  Up until now, I've only participated in individual sports (swimming, cross country and track) or been involved in activities that don't quite qualify as traditional "sports" (dance and cheer).  So to have a team and a position and a ball was a pretty big deal.

We lost.  MISERABLY.  But it was a heck of a lot of fun.  After realizing we had no legitimate chance of winning the traditional way, we decided to take full advantage of the league's "if a guy walks, the girl behind him in the line-up also gets to walk" rule.  That's how we scored our first and only 3 runs...  Despite our strategic plan, we still mercy rule lost 13-3.  I'm going to chalk this loss up to playing with only 8 people when we're allowed to field 10 and to the fact that we are likely at least 5-7 years older than all the undergrads out there.  We've got another game on Sunday.  The Sons of Pitches will show no mercy as we avenge our honor!  Or, we'll lose again.  Either way, I'm gonna play ball!

Day 177 - Date Night!

Although I was primed and ready to go to the gym, I convinced the hubs to take me on a date instead.  I got my haircut today and was feeling extra sassy.  You can't waste that sort of style on a treadmill.  So, off we went to the Northern Lights Brewery. 

Charlie and I have been married for 2 1/2 years and dating for 8 1/2, but it's extremely important to me that we still "date."  Having dinner together somewhere other than our apartment doesn't count.   I'm talking showering, teeth brushing and using the manners our mother's taught us dating.

No exercise to report, but all-in-all it was a great day.

Day 176 - Not that Fondue

This was a LONG day of classes.  My bad mood persisted despite a good night's sleep.  I may have been less than pleasant to those who crossed my path.  I've been told that I'm nicer on my worst days than some people on their best, but I still feel guilty after a day when I've been terse.  I am VERY ready to be done with school, but now is the time when I need to be even more invested.  Finals are just around the corner and I've got to find a way to dig deep and get everything done.

In an effort to boost my mood, I decided to forgo pilates and try a different type of exercise.  For the first time in a DECADE, I went to BALLET.  I knew that it was probably going to be uncomfortable (I seem to have misplaced my 15 year old ballerina body...), but I didn't realize how tiring it was going to be.  To demonstrate what a fatty I've become, while doing an exercise at the barre, the instructor said "and Fondue." To fondue in ballet is to melt into a plie position, but all I could think about was hot gooey cheese on sour dough bread.

For the most part, the terms and ideas behind movements came right back to me as if no time had passed.  The physical movements themselves... Not so much.  I used to be able to lift my leg in the air and hold it above my head while balancing on my toes.  Today?  I could barely lift my leg to hip height while grasping the bar so hard my knuckles were white.  Despite the significant effort that went into the moves, I was pleasantly surprised that what I was doing actually resembled ballet.  A decade may have passed, but I can still kick, twirl and leap.  Not very well, but I can do it!

Sure enough, my mood did improve.  If Marcy (the gracious instructor who put up with my antics for an hour) will have me, I may make ballet a regular part of my new fitness routine.  Now off to find some fondue...

Day 175 - It's all in the Elbow

Today I was an amazing day!  Dance classes were canceled for Spring Break, I got a massage and I had a legitimate excuse to not workout.  I received the best massage ever thanks to Amanda at Therapeutic Elements.  As I mentioned yesterday, I have been in a lot of pain due to the knots in my back.  Amanda made those knots suffer. Although I was face down and can't confirm this, I am 99.9% certain that at one point Amanda put a knee up on the table for leverage and then dug her elbow into a knot.  IT WAS AMAZING!!!  They aren't completely gone, but life should be much more tolerable now.  I can tilt my head to each side and almost touch my shoulders, so that in itself is an improvement.

Besides the massage, today consisted of class and studying.  Charlie and Jeffery joined me at the law library to study before my 6:30PM Community Property class.

Charlie Studying

Jeffrey Studying

Me "studying"

While I was in class, the boys went to the WSU v. Gonzaga baseball game.  Lucky : (  I love baseball!  I'm hoping the sun eventually makes an appearance in Spokane on a game day that I can enjoy.

Day 174 - Knots

OUCH!!!!  I could hardly turn my head today without pain running up and down my back and across my shoulders.  When I get stress, I carry it in my upper back, which then gets so tight that muscle and bone are indistinguishable.  As my stress levels come down, my muscles start to relax, but the knots remain.  I know nothing about anatomy (by choice because the human body and its functions disgust me), but I assume that it isn't healthy to have shooting pain when you raise your hand that you can trace back to a solid lump of angry muscle in your back.  Needless to say, I've schedule a massage for tomorrow.  Thanks again for the X-mas present hubs!

Due in part to the back pain, I was 100% grouchy today.  I managed to crack a few smiles, but for the most part it was yet another rainy and gray Monday.  I got through my classes just fine, but did NOT use my free time efficiently.  Instead of reading ahead for Con Law or preparing for Labor Law, I chose to watch Saturday's SNL with Elton John on Hulu.  Not sure how SNL is going to help me prepare for finals...

The highlight of the day was convincing Charlie to join me for yoga.  The instructor changed some of the usual poses to create more advanced options.  I wasn't prepared to try some of them, but the few I did try wore me out.  I never knew yoga could be so exhausting.  It's not just stretching and funny breathing (as I used to assume).  Charlie did a great job considering it was his first day back since getting stitches in his knee in January.  To celebrate our hard work, we had pizza for dinner.  Baby steps...

Days 163 - 173 - EVEN WORSE BLOGGER

Now that Linden cup is over, I am going to make a concerted effort to get back to blogging daily.  I've been ridiculously busy, but fear not.  Little of what I've been up to is all that exciting or noteworthy.  For that reason, I'll forgo a day-by-day recap and give you a quick bullet point list of the happenings in the life of Katie L. Hilen.

In the last 10 days I:
-Joined 4 of my girlfriends in a ridiculous episode of Friday Binge eating.  After a long week, we ordered (and consumed) nearly all of the appetizers on Jack and Dan's menu.

-Later that same night, we burned off a few of those calories by bowling.

-Advanced to the final round of Linden Cup.
-Spent over 15 hours relearning all of the Linden Cup material and rewriting arguments so I could present the petitioner's side after 4 rounds of arguing on behalf of the respondent...  awesome.

-Argued in front of members of the Washington, Idaho and Montana state supreme courts.

-Lost to an awesome team of dudes, but am proud to have come in second.

 -Of course, prior to competing, I had my "good luck" blue jolly rancher... (note the blue tongue...)

-Went to yoga, did the stair machine and worked in a 3 mile run.
-Attended two make-up classes during what is supposed to be MY weekend time... Grrr....

-Went skiing in both Montana and Idaho same time (resort straddles the state line).

-Had to present an oral argument for a mid-term in Labor Law.
-Turned in a 15 page case study for Employment Discrimination.
-Celebrated a friends engagement at Twigs (had only Gorgonzola fries, a martini and cake for dinner... Whoops!)

Congrats guys!

-Celebrated my Aunt's 50th birthday with my family in Portland! (Aunt Debi, you know how to throw a party!)
-Enjoyed spending time with the little bro and his girlfriend (not to mention my mom, husband, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins).  Love all of you and miss you greatly!


I think that about covers it...  I should be back to regular blogging tomorrow and should hopefully have lots of exercise and healthy eating choices to report!