Vegas, Baby

So I generally despise Vegas. In fact, there are usually a million other places I would rather be than the wholly manufactured "city." All that even in the face of my love of gambling. But this weekend, I think Vegas will be fun.



It seems like only yesterday, but as of Monday, Jaime and I will have been officially married for a year. I know, right! Can't even believe how fast the last year has gone. I imagine moving and starting new careers had something to do with that.

So her Mom is in Vegas as we speak for one of her several jaunts for the year. When we found out she was going, we figured it might be fun to go see her. Then on top of that we realized it would be our anniversary weekend. Even the more reason to go.

I secured a reservation for Saturday night at the restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. Pricey, but hey, you only have one first wedding anniversary.

Brief

Well, I went to spin class last night and was so not into it. In fact, I’m tired of writing about it, probably as tired as you are of hearing about it. So I’ll switch gears. (Nope, could not resist lame pun).

Random thought: I’ve worked at Best Friends for nine months. Still love Kanab, still love working here, still love our friends…but it’s funny when you’ve been around for a little while how people start to show their true colors. People and things you thought about in a certain way are in reality, not that way at all. And I'm not talking about the sort of obvious ones. But I will say, without going into too much detail, that my lessons in the classroom of life are prolific on a daily basis.

I just came home from the gym tonight and my husband has left me. First for a golf course, and now for basketball game at the Andrews'. Just received a phone call from he who is at Andrews’ that the Steeles are there as well, and that my presence has been requested. So I now abandon word processor for an evening with friends. But you so know I am making it home for episode two of Top Chef Chicago.

Make Mine Chocolate!

Easter is just around the corner, and what is the traditional symbol – the bunny of course! Thinking of giving a rabbit as a gift? Please reconsider. Rabbits can be magnificent furkid companions, but each year humane societies and shelters see a huge influx of rabbits after Easter. So before you give in to temptation and purchase a live rabbit, please consider the following...

Know The Facts:

• Rabbits are not "low-maintenance" pets, and are a poor choice as a pet for children.
• They have a lifespan of 10 years and require as much work as a dog or cat.
• Your home must be bunny-proofed, or Thumper will chew cords and furniture.
• Rabbits must be neutered or spayed or they will mark your house with feces and urine.
• They should live indoors, as members of the family.

The Columbus House Rabbit Society started the Make Mine Chocolate campaign in 2002 to educate on the public on the realities of living with a rabbit, and to discourage giving live rabbits as Easter gifts.

And who can argue with chocolate?! Even our vegan friends have options. Here are just a few: veganfamily.com, katescaringgifts.com, allisonsgourmet.com

Better yet, if you really want to spoil someone, consider making a donation to sponsor a bunny at the Best Friends Bunny House, or donate to the Make Mine Chocolate campaign in the name of your loved one.

As I step down from this soapbox, I sincerely thank you for making compassionate, humane choices during this joyous spring holiday.

Oh Baby!

Just winding down from a long day of festivities. The baby shower was a smashing success and I am pretty sure the mama-to-be enjoyed herself, so my mission is complete. Unfortunately, our camera croaked in the middle of the party, so I will have to get some photos from Jen, Pam, or Laura to post for everyone. But we had a good crowd, and even the boys came for the beginning to share in the fun before heading off to the Buckskin for beers and debauchery. The party is continuing over at the poker game tonight, but I am pretty beat so I am sitting this one out, even though I heart the Crooks and all the poker peeps. Our friends here in Kanab are so great – we are really lucky.

The fitness program is still underway, although I took two days off this week. I was pretty tired, so I didn’t go to the gym Tues or Wed. I was tired like exhausted, not just the regular ‘I’m tired and don’t want to go to the gym’ , so I took a few days off.

Last night Jon and I stayed home and got the house cleaned up and made brownies for the baby shower. The brownies were featured on the cover of the most recent issue of Cooking Light Magazine. We bought Jen & Daron a subscription for Christmas, so they get the magazine too and Jen commented on how yummy they looked so Jon wanted to make them for the guest of honor. They turned out quite nicely. Here is the recipe if you care to indulge…

That’s it for now. I really enjoyed the soiree but am looking forward to a relaxing “do nothing’ day tomorrow. The animals agree with me – I am already surrounded by two crashed out dogs and a cat.

"I was thinking you're new but you're not".

Yeah, I know you’re all dying to know how it’s going. So here’s your fix. I set my alarm clock last night on a whim that I might – might-- get up at an early hour and attend an exercise class. I’m not sure how it happened, but I did. Six o’clock a.m. spin class. Which is really 5:00 a.m. with the time change and all. In my opinion the best part about exercising at such an early hour is that I’m not fully awake enough to realize the full extent of my misery. I had yet a new instructor this time, a guy. After huffing and puffing for the duration of the hour, upon dismount of my bike, the woman next to me said,

“So you’ve been on a bike before”. It was more of a statement than a question.

“Well, this is only my third class, but yeah, I’ve ridden a lot”.

“You did really well. He [instructor] is really hard. Most people don’t make it all the way through the class. I was thinking you’re new, but you’re not”.

I thanked her. Not sure if that was the appropriate response, but I guess it was a compliment. It’s also a little randomly odd that she was keeping tabs on me. I can tell you the least of my concerns during the class was the performance of her or any of my other classmates. I just didn’t want to fall off or pass out.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I was pretty tired, but it was nice to get the rough stuff out of the way early.

Jon is still in Austin and is not doing so hot. He’s come down with some kind of cold/flu illness. He is pretty well through with his part of the convention but can’t get a flight home until Wednesday, so he’s more or less stuck in Austin. The irony – I would love to be stuck in Austin. He got to have dinner with my aunt & uncle last night, and even went to see my cousin’s band at a hole in the wall bar on 6th Street. I am so envious. That being said, I wish he could come home since his business there is basically done. I know it would be easier if he was feeling better – he’d definitely be down to go see some live tunes or savor some tasty cuisine. Best case scenario would be me, him, and a couple of free days to kill. But alas, I’m keeping down the fort solo and he’ll be home soon enough.

This weekend is Jen & Daron’s baby shower. Should be a lot of fun. I’m pretty sure Jen is over the whole ‘being pregnant’ thing. The other day she told me “I can’t believe that soon I’m not going to be pregnant for the rest of my life!" Better her than me.

Accidents and Inspiration Lead You to Your Destination

Well, I am happy to report that I made it through the week. It’s one of the longest weeks I have endured in a long time. I did manage to make it back to the gym each day, including this morning for another brutal spin class. I hesitate to admit this, but I think I actually liked it. Seems like I am a sadist after all.

I wanted to sincerely thank everyone who has expressed concern about my mom and her health. She has been out of the hospital for about a week now with little improvement, but she is a stubborn fighter (see—I come by it honestly) so I have faith that she will, with time, make a full recovery. So thank you for all of your kind thoughts and well wishes.

Jon is en route to Austin for the SXSW geekville festival. You can read about that in his post below.

I was listening to one of my favorite albums on the way home from work tonight. Mary Chapin Carpenter is quite possibly one of the finest lyricists I have ever had the pleasure of indulging. She is so brilliant in so many ways. I felt compelled to post this song.


The Long Way Home – Mary Chapin Carpenter

You could be this man, he's got it all worked out
To the nth degree, no fears, no doubts
He'll retire at thirty to his big-ass house next to the putting green
Now he's got a picture in his head of the perfect wife,
Their perfect children, their perfect life
Nothing wrong with that, coming home each night to his cul-de-sac of dreams
Funny now how it all went by so fast
One day he's looking over his shoulder at the past
When everybody had to go, had to be, had to get somewhere
How did he forget about what got him there

Now you could be this woman, she's the CEO
She's got her power suits and her IPO's
She punched a hole in the ceiling years ago and she hasn't pulled back since
Now there's a gardener for the flowers, a cook for the meals,
A maid for the laundry, an accountant for the bills
A walker for the dog and a trainer when she feels the need to lose an inch
Funny now how it all went by so fast
One day she's looking over her shoulder at the past
When everybody had to go, had to be, had to get somewhere
Somehow she forgot about what got her there

Accidents and inspiration lead you to your destination

Or you could be the one who takes the long way home
Roll down your window, turn off your phone
See your life as a gift from the great unknown
And your task is to receive it
Tell your kid a story, hold your lover tight
Make a joyful noise, swim naked at night
Read a poem a day, call in well sometimes and
Laugh when they believe it

Funny now how it all goes by so fast
One day I'm looking over my shoulder at the past
Now everybody's got to go, got to be, got to get somewhere
Baby don't forget about
You really shouldn't forget about
Baby don't forget what got you there
I think it's what got you there
Yeah it's really what got you there

I know it’s long and you probably skipped reading the whole thing, so I italicized my favorite part. It’s probably really corny, but here’s me being reflective. Moving to Kanab and of course working for the animals was certainly one way of taking the long way home. The people settling into their cul de sac of dreams; the CEO that punched a hole in the ceiling – these are people I know; people I knew…might even have been me. But now here where I live there is red sand in my house, in my car, in my shoes. And to tell you the truth I really don’t think I’d have it any other way. Don’t get me wrong – this place is not perfect. Hardly! But I will say it’s a far cry from the trite cement jungle I have always known.

I am particularly fond of “…call in well sometimes and laugh when they believe it…” and “Accidents and inspiration lead you to your destination”. So much truth here. So much truth.

Off Again

So I am on the road again, this time to Austin, Texas. I am honored to be going to the SXSW Interactive conference. It's obviously the same gang that puts on the music festival, but this is geared to all things web. Since I am doing the social marketing stuff for Best Friends now, it should be pretty interesting, and I should learn a lot. The guy that invented Facebook is the keynote on Sunday for example.

The more I read about this stuff though, I think probably 90% of the conversations there, I will have no frickin idea what people are talking about. The people there are like the people who are people with today's internet and video games. I should feel pretty dumb for the whole week. Good job I am used to that :)

Back In the Saddle

As we await amid the suspense of the election returns, I will recap for you day number two of the fitness challenge.

Spin class. Have you done this? I have been a gym member for years. Sometimes faithful, sometimes not so much, but in all those years I have never engaged in such an endeavor. It’s by no means a new phenomenon, so I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long but tonight was the night I decided to jump in the saddle. (Bad pun intended, of course).

First off, I heeded many a warning as to the butt kicking potential of a spin class. I have always enjoyed riding a bike—my beloved mountain bike in particular, so this is no new machinery or sensation to me by any stretch of the imagination. But I guess when you combine being overweight and out of shape, it makes things interesting. In my last post I suggested that the instructor might be a sadist. Actually, that is wrong. Not only is the instructor a sadist, but the students are as well. It’s basically a really intense bike ride to jamming music. Simple enough. Right? Wrong again. Last night before the start of my yoga class, I sat next to a very kind middle aged woman, who had not attended the yoga class before. She asked me a few questions about how the class would go and I feel I gave her some good pointers. She mentioned that she, too, is taking part in the fitness challenge.

“Have you done the spin classes?” I asked.

“Yes", she replied. "I started about a month ago. It’s very challenging".

“I haven’t taken one yet”, I told her. “Tomorrow is my first go”.

She then lowered her voice, looked around to see that no one was listening and then leaned toward me and said, “When I first started, I found that my crotch was really sore from riding on the small hard seat”.

Wow! Too much information, I thought to myself.

“Really?” I asked.

She nodded and then added “it does get better after a few classes, but yes, your rear end really takes a beating in the beginning”.

I then recalled many a ride through the red sands of Moab or Gooseberry Mesa and the accompanying soreness at the end of the day. By then class started so our conversation was left at that.

That very same kind woman was in my class again tonight. Before the class began, she asked me, “Jaime, would you like a gel seat cover”. “Yes, thank you!”. Yes, yes I would. And yet, I may as well have had a cold metal rod between my cheeks for the next hour, because that’s about as comfortable as it got. It was pretty rough. Like really tough. But the good news: I made it. I lived through the entire hour. I was asked several times on my way out of the gym, “How was your first class?” to which I responded, “Well, I didn’t fall off, and I didn’t quit”. So there. I didn’t fall off, and I didn’t quit. I would also like to point out that I out-rode the 21 year old gal who was also there for her first class. In fact, she only lasted 20 minutes. That girl is hardly a sadist. I dare say I even felt good in the hour following the class. But then the muscles soreness and stiffness started setting in, so I’m back to hobbling around the house moaning. My poor husband who is desperately trying to be supportive, is ready to rip his hair out. He’s tired of listening to me complain. To my credit, I did forewarn him that I was not going to be pleasant to be around for the next week or so. Lucky for him tonight he went after work and shot nine holes at the golf course and is now slumbering peacefully on the couch.

So I’m off. I’m off to inhale some ibuprofen, and then I’m off to melt into a sudoku puzzle as I chant my new mantra…”I didn’t fall off, and I didn’t quit”.

Fitness Challenge

So I signed up for the "March Madness" eight week fitness challenge at our local gym. First prize wins a free 3 month membership to the gym. I'm already a paying member, so that's not really the goal, but I am "competing" against 20-30 other folks who are also trying to get in shape. The challenge requires that you attend 3-4 spin classes per week, plus 2-3 other cardio classes or workouts on the days you don't spin. Now I've spend a lot of time on a bike in my past, but I've never done a spin class. I'm told the instructors are pretty much sadists. I'm not looking forward to that aspect, but I'm willing to at least try. I was also warned not to be discouraged if I can't make it all the way through the class on the first go. I'm going to go ahead and wager that I'll be making an early exit. But again, the theme...trying.

Friday I went in to have my weight & measurements taken, including my body fat percentage. Let me just say it was not pretty. Actually, it was beyond ugly. So since the weather is really turning gorgeous, I decided I'm going to try & jump start into the hiking season by getting a little better fit. We'll see how long I can hang.

BTW, the guys had a great time in Mesquite this weekend. Check out Jen & Daron's blog for photos from the golf & gambling expo. Also some great pics of "the belly" as well (baby Addyson in her mama's belly).

Jen is an inspiration to me -- she has been such a healthy mom and has religiously been going to the gym. She -- and her belly -- are teaching my yogalates class tonight, so if she can go (and teach!!) I really have NO excuses for not going too.