at least cover your parts, you're going to work. (The Post Wherein I Go Back To The Real World)

getting dressed in the morning has been something of a challenge, ever since returning from our family vacation to Bavaria a little over a week ago. in fact, most things have been something of a challenge. upon returning to work, which, by the way, was in the throes of what some might call a Deadline Crunch (and all the subsequent freakouts and meltdowns) i told my husband that i felt quite like Peter in Office Space, right after the hypnotism heart attack scene. everyone was running around as if there was some kind of unannounced fire drill not involving an ice cream truck, and there i was, in a delightful haze at my desk while twangy tropical music floated through my head. this first day back was followed by several mild temper tantrums, in which i, at least once, declared loudly that if i was not in Europe riding bikes in the mountains, well, then life just wasn't worth living.

needless to say, getting back to normal has been a bit of a challenge. but the deadline at work has passed, and i've had some time to reflect on this trip and forget, at least for a few minutes, that i probably ought to be Doing Something.

i have very little hesitation calling this My Best Trip Ever. (i considered it for a minute, knowing this would knock my High School Junior Year Band Trip to Hawaii out of first place, but then remembered the 10-hour sunburned flight home, and well, that was that.) and not to get all mushy on you, but i believe the reason this trip ranks so highly on my very short list of destinations is not merely the Currywurst, latte macchiatos or even the Sound of Music tour, but because we never stopped moving, not for a minute. we rode bikes along the river in Salzburg, hiked to the top of Kehlstein (or The Eagle's Nest, as we, the Allied, may remember it) and spent countless hours walking to and from our hotels and the charming city centers of each place we visited. and for the first time in my life, i did not even complain about how badly my feet hurt. (okay, so i did once, but i maintain that my father-in-law is responsible for promising a cab ride home and not delivering, even though the promised cab ride home was the reason i wore Those Heels in the first place.) but seriously. for the first time in my life, i was able to enjoy a vacation that wasn't centered around eating until The Ulcer came back and loafing around Doing Nothing. and i started to think, hey, maybe this is what living an active life is all about.

my most favorite part of Bavaria, especially Munich, was how active and fit everyone there was. i wasn't sure what to expect of Germany and Austria, not being really German or Austrian at all, but admittedly knew i wouldn't be surprised by a mass of burly, solid folks dressed in funny leather pants and carrying head-sized mugs of beer. and there definitely were head-sized mugs of beer, but rather than being delivered by buxom barmaids in lace-trimmed aprons, they were skillfully carried, 4 at a time, by seemingly very small but obviously quite strong 20-something girls. (!!) guys, these things were liter mugs of beer. made of heavy glass. FULL OF BEER. half the time, they tossed in a couple head-sized pretzels too, just to show off.

and we haven't even gotten to the bikes. oh! the bikes! everywhere you looked people were using bikes as transportation, rather than driving cars or scooters. sure, there were cars and scooters, but because Munich and Salzburg are so beautifully dense, using a bike to get from place to place really makes a lot of sense. and of course there was no shortage then of yummy bike eye candy. vintage cruisers, stylish new city bikes with all the bells and baskets, sleek road bikes jockeyed by even sleeker young Europeans. guys, it was as if i had died and gone to my very own personally-designed heaven. complete with Turkish food, strong coffee and functional fashion!

so it was no surprise that having realized the pitiful state of disrepair of my old hand-me-down, white-and-teal Trek road bike from the early 1990s just before our trip, that upon returning, we'd find ourselves salivating over new beauties in the local bike shop within mere days. and now, my friends, after a quick test drive and subsequent squealing, i am saving my pennies for this charmer:

while considering this hefty purchase, my husband asked, would i rather have a bicycle or a moped? "bike, duh." i replied. "i'd rather be active than merely have an alternate transportation to work."

... wait, I said that??

well, wouldn't ya know, i made something.

too bad i don't have photos to show you yet. but i leave on Friday for Deutschland, and i'm hoping to gather enough pictures of my creations while we're there to provide you with a pretty peek into my very rare moment of productivity. new items may or may not include:

- brand new tote bag
- brand new cross-body bag
- brand new totally easy knit skirt
- brand new elastic waist skirt (yes, that kind everyone is crazy about. let me tell you: i now TOTALLY GET IT.)
- refashioned skirt made from and old pair of dress pants
- thrifted tank that needed mending after the stupid thrift store tag ripped a hole in it (staples? really. get with the times.)

but for now, i have a question or two to pose for our live audience.

first of all, has anyone ever traveled with sewing supplies? the last time i took a quick trip next door to Michigan, i left my emergency sewing kit and embroidery at home. but now that i'm likely to spend 16 hours on an airplane trying to distract myself from the complete and total terror of speeding over the ocean in a metal tube, i'd like to bring my happy toys along in my carry on. i've read on the TSA site that knitting needles, needlepoint items and some scissors are now allowed. has anyone tried to travel with items like this recently? how about the return flight from Germany? are they as strict with travel regulations as we are here? i welcome all informed thoughts and advice on the topic.

i want to be entertained, but i don't think i could live with myself if My Baby was ever confiscated at security:

photo courtesy of Amazon.com

my next question is for the craftiest of you. you see, a few weeks ago i was cleaning our bright white new kitchen sink with that handy spray cleaner, and about a half hour after admiring its gleaming wonderfulness, my husband casually asked "Hey, is that supposed to be there?" He pointed cavalierly at my favorite skirt, no, MY FAVORITE SKIRT, THE MOST FAVORITE, ALL-TIME FAVORITE, THE ONE THAT I HAD TO LOSE WEIGHT TO FIT INTO THAT FIT SO PERFECTLY FOR ONE WEEK BEFORE THIS DREADED DAY. and yes, i couldn't deny it: THERE WERE BLEACH STAINS. i cried. i'm not kidding. it might've been a slightly unstable day in general, but i wept like an overtired child who had just had his Huffy stolen from the bike rack at the local pool. no joke. of all the clothing i've ripped, altered or ruined over the years, this was BY FAR the most devastating. i don't think i'm still quite over it. anyhow, i've documented the carnage: 

being a spry, developing refashionista, i've done a lot of thinking on this. my first thought was to merely shorten the skirt, make it a little sassier, and remove the problem altogether. but you'll notice that the cargo pockets sort of impede a process like that. (and who wants to walk around with amputated cargo pockets? i know i sure don't.) every online forum advises the use of some kind of wacky markers to color in the bleach spot. this sounds too much like puffy paint for my comfort. my thought now is to try to dye the skirt entirely, hoping to cover the bleach spot. i wouldn't even mind trying out a deep indigo-navy color, in fact. has anyone tried dying stained clothing before? how did it go? did the bleached out portion take the dye the same as the rest of the garment? i'm wondering if i'll need to strip the color of the entire skirt before beginning the dying process. my fear is weakening the fibers, but maybe there's a safe way to remove the current color before re-dying. 

so with that, i'll leave you, Internet, to flood the comments section with your infinite wisdom.

my first race!

yesterday, at roughly 3 pm, i got an invitation to run a 5k along the lakefront. my first race! in 4 hours.

 

"but i am so unprepared! i probably don't even have clean clothes!" i sure didn't, and i sure didn't have weather-appropriate clothes for the sweltering heat we've been suffering lately. i don't even own a pair of shorts. (or a cute running skirt. i gotta get one of those! so cute!) but i figured if i was going to do it, i might as well get tricked into it at the last minute, or i might never get around to it.

i had run about 2.75 miles the day before with my good friend Katie, in about 85-90 degree weather, mostly in the hot sun and wicked humidity. i figured i had run a 5k accidentally by myself one lovely Saturday, and this icky run only supported the idea that i could probably pull it off. The Hubs was SUPER supportive. he even came home, drove me to my friend Meagan's house to meet her on time to register for the race, crashed his computer and lost lots of important documents in the hurry to get out the door, stood around surrounded by bugs while we ran, awkwardly managed not to be the center of attention, and even remembered the camera when i had forgotten it! srsly guys, he is such a keeper. ♥

anyway! it was awesome! i ran really, really slowly. more slowly than usual even for me, more slowly than about half the participants over the age of 75, but i did it! and i felt pretty good about running the whole thing. even The Hill. even as i watched lots of people my age stop and walk along the way. even as side stitch kicked in at mile one, and i almost saw the whole thing slip away from me.

there was one woman along the route who was volunteering and cheering for us as we ran. she kept saying as people passed, "you're runners. that's what you are now." and as much as i am usually the one rolling my eyes at syrupy comments like that, this one really hit me. maybe it was the lack of oxygen getting to my brain, but that was so encouraging to hear. i was doing it! officially!

my friend Meagan, who spurred me on to race, even with so little notice, ran with me all the way. she, who has run marathons and triathlons and skis the top part of the mountain where the real lifts don't even go, stuck by my side the whole way. sharing stories about bad dates and awkward folks, keeping my mind occupied and my feet plodding along. and eventually the side stitch faded, The Hill was behind us, and it was all over! and i felt amazing! and i may have placed 600th out of 700-something, but now i have a time to beat! 34:02, to be exact.

"this is how it all starts," our friend Travis said to me as we got ready for the race. turns out he's right, i'm totally hooked! and i've already recruited a small army of first-timers and fellow runners to join me next time. i might even give them a whole day's notice first. :)

guess who sucks at blogging?

hey now, let's not go pointing fingers.

but the truth is, i totally slacked on that previously promised Popeye recipe. i'll get to it, jeez. probably next week. maybe the following. ... we'll see where i can fit it in, between the work deadlines, self-made sewing deadlines, Father's Day, Jury Duty and packing for Germany. :)

in the meantime, i stumbled across this today. i haven't tried it yet, but i fully intend to (maybe sooner than i post that recipe for Popeye Salad, even! ha!) looks super yummy and refreshing.

Raw Brussels Sprout and Radish Salad

Big thanks to the folks at 30 Bucks a Week, you always have the most intriguing recipes! Can't wait to try this one.

celebrate good times, come on.

so often i find so much inspiration in others' daily struggles and triumphs.

here, a recent bloggyfriend (with a snazzy name, i might add) is taking a second to celebrate a year of healthier living. i couldn't NOT take time out to give her props for all her hard work and obvious accomplishments. i mean, what kind of fellow striver would i be? GIANT congrats!!! to Erin of Luck & Bliss for a year well lived. keep kicking ass, sister!

and while we're at it, her enthusiasm and much-deserved self-props has reminded me that i hit a bit of a milestone this week as well. (and i didn't even share with you all--shame!) now, see how those green and orange lines cross below? yeah, that's my muscle mass kicking the flabby ass of my body fat percentage. it's true, i'm now officially more muscle than fat. things can only look up from here, right?

Operation Salvage Lunch: SUCCESS!

we had a bit of a Diet Meltdown last night, folks. since starting this journey in November, i've developed a real Been There, Done That, Regretted It Later, Moved On mentality. some days are really good and people leave lots of happy comments ... and other days you try to make turkey burgers.

let me explain: i've had this plan of making turkey burgers for some time now. i've accumulated a small collection of recipes, ranging from Seemingly Bland to French Onion Soup Mix, Yum! but had yet to try any of them. while trying to consider the particular tastes of my current housemates (Husband and Sister. always teaming up against me. srsly all day long with the teaming up. against me.) i found a recipe that sounded pretty good: Skinny BBQ Turkey Burgers*! and to think, it was delivered directly to my inbox. by Jillian Michaels herself! i had decided it was fate. we were having Skinny BBQ Turkey Burgers that night.

folks, i've tried a lot of recipes in my time, some good, some mediocre, but not since The Great Botched Waffle Breakfast of 2006 have i experienced such total catastrophic kitchen failure. i'll spare you some of the gory details, but the night went something like this:

1. double the recipe, in order to use the whole 2.5-pound container of ground turkey purchased from Sam's Club. (i've gone over it and over it, and so far i'm pretty sure this is my only mistake. why we needed to use that whole container i have no idea. i blame it on post-workout brain.)
2. follow the recipe, completely and precisely.
3. comment that the burgers seem a little soft, maybe they need to be chilled.
4. 20 minutes or so pass, burgers are still more like ... lumps of pancake batter.
5. decide to try to grill pancake batter. FAIL.
6. move grilling surface indoors, to trusty electric pancake griddle.
...
fast forward through the next couple hours, wherein much crying, shouting, carmelizing, vague threats, comparisons to meatloaf and gagging ensues. 2.5 pounds of Skinny BBQ Turkey Burger Pieces (minus a small amount that was choked down) is thrown away, never to be spoken of again. ... okay, so i had to come clean first. then we'll never speak of this again.)
10. drive to mall, purchase Rocky Rococo's for Husband, Berry-Cabernet and Chocolate-Raspberry gelato for Sister, and Grapefruit-Sage and Pineapple gelato for me.
"but i thought you were on a sweets ban until you leave for Germany!"
HAVE YOU NO IDEA THE SKINNY BBQ HELL I'VE JUST BEEN THROUGH? BACK OFF.

ahhh... much better. so there you have it. win some, lose some, eh?

anyway, so considering i had planned on eating leftover Skinny BBQ Turkey Burgers for lunch the next day, and had no alternative lunch plan, i wisely boiled up a few eggs to tide me over for lunch and breakfast for the next few days. "i'll have a yummy Popeye Salad**," i told myself. (Note: This is a much toned-down representation of this event. Details such as crying, whining, gagging, self-pity and panic have been left out because the writer is in extreme denial about her ability to emotionally cope with The Diet.)

so when i got to lunchtime and realized the ingredients for said Popeye Salad were lacking, i did not panic, no. i IMPROVISED. (see! progress!) considering i only had a little bit of spinach left in the fridge, i figured we'd have to sway from the original salad concept and get creative. i was lucky to find one last remaining pita left. (they're these yummy whole grain Kangaroo pouchy things my dear friend Meagan told me about that you can get in the deli aisle. so yummy and only include a few very healthy ingredients. would highly recommend!) enter: the best lunch rescue idea to date. here's what i did:
1. chopped up 1 hard-boiled egg, tossed out half the yoke. mixed together with a little bit of cottage cheese and seasoned with pepper. voila--instant egg salad! (or at least close enough!)
2. stuffed pita with spinach, tomato slices and egg salad-like mixture.
3. served with baby carrots, cucumber slices and one big hot serving of HELL YEAH.

sometimes it's the little victories in life that keep us going, no?

____

* clearly, i would not recommend you use this recipe. i should have known, after reading the part where the recipe writer suggests sauteeing onions in the microwave. feel free to leave lots of nasty comments, though! (what? i'm not bitter. i swears...)
** recipe for Popeye Salad coming soon in this week's Salad of the Week feature! get pumped, it's a keeper! :)

happy birthday, Beage of My Life!

yes, folks. today is the day my most favorite person in the world wiggled his way into existence, later to become the force he is to be reckoned with today. is there any greater cause for celebration? i submit that there is not!

if any of you know me at all, you must know, at least to a small degree, how ridiculously crazy i am for this man, what with this big, sturdy self, his yummy smell (while clean, of course) and duh, The Hair. but not only is he scrumptious and has the unanimous vote of my favorite hair salon as being The Guy Who Will Still Be Hot When He's Old and Gray (i prefer Regal), but he's also bright, witty, discerning and endlessly supportive of me and all my antics. like last night when he faithfully tried his best to grill what was, in short, the most disastrous attempt at turkey burgers in recorded history. AND THEN HE EVEN ATE A BITE. if any of you knew how persnickety he is about the foods he will allow into his body, you would realize what a remarkable sacrifice this was for him.

he's even taken to running with me lately, in my ridiculous quest to someday run a 5k. outdoors. i know, i know, it seems impossible. but with his encouragement and companionship, this has so far proved to be a pretty fun journey. and if his track record so far is any indication, have very high hopes for the future.

i'm so glad he was born, and perhaps even more glad he's chosen me as his partner and teammate. (how unworthy i feel sometimes!) i've never had a better friend.

happy birthday, my Sweet Beage! long may you run. ♥