I'm baaack.

And I'm hurting. Just a little.

55 miles on the body, backpacking carrying 30 pounds, contrary to popular belief, does NOT do a body good. Well...ok. Some good. Just not all of it.

Including the bruises. I have more mystery bruises from backpacking (ie. sleeping on hard ground at night and continuing to beat up my body by day) than from when I 'accidentally' get drunk.

But all that being said, it was a great trip. I'm pictured above being WAY too excited to be above tree line walking in moon rock. But after that climb, anything felt like downhill.

That being said, the best parts of the trip were:

1. Being with the hubby for a week, pushing our limits together, getting along amazingly well.

2. Seeing my dad and grandfather in their element.

3. Learning the only thing I miss about civilization is a bed, running water, and friends.

4. Remembering that the only things in life that are important were right there with me. And they didn't cost anything at all.

So, welcome home, me.

Random Friday!

TGIF!

And I have my doggie here at work today, which makes me very, very happy. Funny how relaxing having an animal is. If I could only bring her every day.

In other random-Friday-non-important news...I'd really appreciate if my knee could heal immediately. Next week I leave for a backpacking trip with my dad, and it would be really beneficial to the trip if I wasn't stuck 20 miles in the middle-of-f-ing-nowhere with a debilitating knee problem.

Oh, and that triathlon? Would be really awesome to run if my knee didn't feel like it should be cut off every time I run over a mile!

However, this low-impact exercise thing has apparently been great for the body. I don't know why in the heck it works, but working out with the knee problem puts me much closer to my goal weight. So - I'll try not to complain about that...and just would like it fixed sometime in the future so that I can do the activities I love to do.

Also, I drive a lot. And I'm getting tired in the car. I'd love some keep-you-awake suggestions for the car. Maybe some killer book on mp3? I've listened to some, and it's great for some books, and not so great for others. I can't quite figure out why - tone of the reader, content, or what...but some are just a lot better than others. Have a great playlist? An in-the-car stretching routine that you can do while you drive? Help me out please. :)

Go Figure

Marriage is so completely baffling to me.

One day, we absolutely cannot stand to be in the same house. Granted, my house is small. But not sure that is the problem. I mean, I'm sure we'd have those moments even if we bought a larger home. The 'if only we had...' syndrome I'm sure could be another post in itself, so I'll save that one.

But then the next day (or shortly after), I am absolutely smitten with my husband. Loving him to death, he can do no wrong, can't wait to be home from work to see him, that sort of thing.

And sometimes, you find that spot in between that is just best described as comfortable. I think we have jumped from those three options quite a bit in this first year actually. It's definitely not easy, but I think it is worth it.

And today we have been married for exactly 10 months. Almost a year. Sounds short, and feels...well...feels long in some ways and like it flew by in others.

And speaking of flying...wish he wasn't flying to another state right now with weather delays & being far, far, away from here...here's to many more months and years and decades of 'us'.

Love Song

Oh, probiotics, how I love you!

Why did I not meet you earlier in my life? I'm so glad we found each other though. You have changed my life and made me a different person. I'm so thankful for you.

I won't go into details people, but I've always had a love/hate relationship with my stomach. Love to eat food (therefore need the stomach). But hate how it makes me feel.

And that was all before I started taking probiotics. Life changing, I tell you. L.i.f.e. C.h.a.n.g.i.n.g.

The Things I love...Today.

Good Friends & friendships

Those friends being in town

Drinking good wine with said friends

Laughing and good conversation

Seeing my hubby smile

The ocean

Warm summer rain...that happens in California - yesterday

The smell of plumerias

NOT working. :)

Relapse

Ever think you are in a different stage of your life than you really are?

You know...like closer to 18 or 21? I always get that when I'm standing in the grocery line and it tells you how old you have to be to NOT be carded. And I'm always amazed how "recent" those dates seem to be...you can be born in 1987 and drink? Wow.

Anyways, this weekend I thought I was much closer to college than I am. I dressed much closer to being in college than I am. I acted much closer to being in college than I am. And I sure as heck drank much closer to being in college than I am.

I can't wait to post a pic of the afro & 6" glitter heels that I sported for WAY TOO LONG on Saturday. And I can't wait for the weekend hangover to subside to reveal the brain that I need for work today.

Ill-bluetooth-erate

I am officially Bluetooth-impaired.

I don't know if it's just me, or if everyone has problems with this since the new heaven-forbid-you-make-a-cell-phone-call-in-the-car policy was implemented in California.

Seriously? I'm more of a hazard on the road trying to get that earpiece crap to work with my phone then I was when I made a good old fashioned handheld call. It inevitably connects to the wrong phone (work vs. personal, or vice versa), runs out of battery, or just cuts out so that either I or the person I'm talking to is incomprehensible.

Is this a conspiracy to just eliminate any sort of call during driving? Perhaps. Or one to just purchase the most expensive Bluetooth, because it might actually work as opposed to the third most expensive model.

Newsflash: not a good idea, convenient, or environmentally sensitive to have two cell phones...however, when you are not allowed to make personal calls on a work phone, there are few remaining options.

So I break the law and have to talk on the "handset" (I only know it is called that because my phone now tells me this). Or I pretend that I'm not, and put the phone on speaker. And the entire decision making process involved in this leads to more. distraction. while. driving.

Take that, CA lawmakers.