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Monday, January 30, 2012

Miscellany Monday - More Pictures

23/365
tiny tot

 I didn't actually take this picture, but Sissy sent it to me with the caption, "Take my picture please."

How can you not love that kid?

24/365
nightly routine

 I can guarantee you that if you go to Match and Papa's house after 6 pm on any given weeknight, this is what you will see.

Both on their iPads, Fox News on the TV.

25/365
fastest girl in town

We had to run 3 400m sprints in CrossFit last week, with one minute rest in between.

Total time posted - 7:16. That means that every one of my sprints was under two minutes! I was so proud!

26/365
mail surprise

Such-N-Such sent me a letter and included this shrinky dink that we made last year. 

I LOVE getting surprises in the mail!! 

27/365
kickin' it old school

On Friday evening, I headed down to my alma mater to watch JP's little bro play a little basketball.

You couldn't pay me enough to go back to high school, but I do love the Buckeye Hawks!

28/365
color running 

On Saturday, I took off with Triple R and Dirty to participate in the first Color Run in Arizona. 

It was the MOST fun I have ever had running! On the left you see what I looked like at the beginning of the race, and on the right - after. 

I encourage you to see if there is a Color Run near you and sign up NOW! www.thecolorrun.com

29/365
3 nephews and a niece

The Fam headed out to Sissy's yesterday for BIL's birthday lunch. I was a little early so I was out front hanging with Biggie and Tiny while they rode their bike and scooter respectively.

We are still waiting for BabyBunner* (on the bottom left) to make his appearance any time this week. And SisterSmalls* sometime in the next six or so weeks.

30/265
paleo dessert

Who says dessert has to have sugar? Not me!

I should probably be concerned that I ate an entire bunch of kale tonight, but I'm not. It was delicious sauteed with bacon, garlic, and shallots.

Head on over to Carissa's blog and link up!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Confessional Booth


Since we’re being honest with each other, I have a confession to make…

We are being honest, right? It is not just me, baring my soul to you, you are joining in the honesty, right? Right? RIGHT?

Well, I actually have two confessions.

Confession #1: My name is Airplane and I am addicted to The Bachelor. I know, it is almost embarassing. “Almost” because there are obviously millions of other men and women out there who are also watching this sad excuse for television. I know that for a fact because I follow some of them on Twitter.

Ok that might be embarassing.

But they are hilarious! And it is nice to know that someone else out there hates Courtney the Model as much as I do.

Seriously, what is wrong with that girl?!?!

More to the point, what is wrong with Ben that he can’t see what a heinous human being she is? I realize that she isn’t quite as nasty around him, but she does make snide litte comments when he can hear her.

I guess I know what is wrong with him – he is a man. And even worse, he is a man under 30 years of age. I am coming to realize that there is a whole group of people (men included) who believe that until a man turns 30, he is nowhere near mature enough to have a meaningful relationship.

I’m not passing judgement on this one way or another, but there seems to be a lot of empirical evidence to support this claim.

So anyway, I watch the show. Religously. And I get angry. Then I get disgusted – don’t these women know that their families are going to be watching this? And, Ben, a word to the wise, if a woman’s mom wouldn’t be upset that she was acting the fool and getting naked and running into the ocean with you on national television, you may want to rethink the relationship. I’m just saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. And bad judgement is not reserved for beach flings.

Either way, as I was watching last night, Ben asked one of the girls on their “first date” if she was structured. She, being an accountant (ok, I’m stereotyping), said that she was. He then asked her if she could handle an unstructured life. Which got me to thinking that a) I hate first dates, and b) this show is stupid. You can’t choose a person to marry based on fantasy dates and unrealistic settings. You have to see someone in their real life. Anyone can say that they could handle an unstructured life (I mean, I would never say that), but the proof is in the pudding, folks.

This all leads me to confession number two: I am a member of eHarmony.com. I may have actually confessed that to all of you before, but I’m not willing to read back through my blog at this moment to see if that is in fact the case. So if you already knew that about me, pretend you didn’t.

I won’t bore you with all of the details, but basically, I have been an active member on and off, for about 2 years. Clearly, since I am still single, it hasn’t really been the most successful means to the end of meeting a quality man that I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I won’t lie to you (we’re being honest, remember?) it hasn’t been the best for my self esteem. Which would explain my current off-again relationship with the internet. Who needs to feel worse about themselves? (And for the record, given the chance, I would likely punch Dr. Neil Warren square in the man parts, but that is neither here nor there.)

However, in the spirit of putting myself out there (or proving my insanity), I am still a member. The truth of the matter is that CK hit the nail on the head the last time I was complaining about not finding suitable matches – she said, “Airplane, if you were finding a lot of men that you were interested in, I would be concerned that you weren’t being honest in what you are looking for. You are trying to find one man, afterall.”

Nail head or not, I hate hearing shit like that. (There’s that honesty again.)

While we’re on the topic, do you know what else I hate hearing? “The reason that you have a difficult time finding men is because you are intimidating – you are strong, independent, and make your own money.” Really, people? Did I somehow jump in a time machine? Are we back in 1920? (Now that I type this, I am fairly certain I have said that before, but no harm in repeating myself for emphasis, is there?)

After some lenghthy discussions with IT about it (she met her still nameless fiance on EH), she suggested that I solicit input from my male friends on my profile. So that is what I am doing.

A quick lunch with Big T today revealed that I have some things to learn about men and how they function, but also that there were some good changes that could be made to my profile.

Let’s hope he was right and I’ll have lots of info to share soon about potential suitors.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Miscellany Monday

I was scolded by JP for not blogging this weekend, and the truth is, I started the Denver post, and then it seemed boring so I abandoned it.

My life is seeming a little boring these days - I'll try to spice it up for you all in the coming weeks.

Until then...

18/365
wine and cocoa

I am back on strict Paleo. For eight weeks - no wine, no chocolate, no sugar, no dairy. So far it hasn't been horrible, but I do miss the chocolate.

But dammit - I have to get to the top of that rope!

19/365
beef, it's what's for dinner

Dirty's parents were in town last week celebrating their 42nd Wedding Anniversary - how cool is that?

So we got the crew together for some delicious dinner! I will tell you though, Warm Bacon Spinach Salad just isn't the same without the bacon grease dressing. Damn gluten!

20/365
nephew fun

On Friday, Match and I headed to Maricopa to pick up Biggie and Tiny so that they could stay the night at Match and Papa's Friday night. After we picked them up we had lunch and then went to Costco - lawsy mercy, mamas - I don't know how you do it. I'm pretty sure we were in Costco for two hours to get like 10 things and I was flat exhausted by the time we left!

While Tiny was sleeping, Biggie and I played some basketball, had some treats, and then had way too much fun with the iPad. In the picture on the bottom right, he kept saying, "My head looks like a peanut." I couldn't stop laughing!

21/365
hairs cut

On Saturday, Papa and I took them to get their hairs cut! You've never seen two little kids sit so nice for haircuts as these two do. It is crazy! 

But how handsome are they now??

22/365
P Dinner

Dirty and I had Diddy over for Sunday Family Dinner. I made Paleo pulled pork, purple cabbage slaw, peppers stuffed with cream cheese, and roasted veggies out of my garden.

For dessert, I made the two of them cinnamon tortilla crispies. They were pleased!

My domestic skills are now being wasted on them... :)

As an aside, since I can not have dairy currently, I stuffed some of the peppers with roasted almond butter and wrapped them in bacon - I was a fan!


Now head on over and link up with Carissa - or at least read a blog you've never read before.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Picture Pages...

So, it was my goal to post my instagram pictures each Monday for Miscellany Monday, but I was in Denver playing with the sweetest babies (after my nephews) on Monday so we're running behind...

(Cheyenne - I will try to maybe break up the pictures in future weeks to make it easier to comment... :))

9/365
fortune telling

Had a work lunch at PJ Fangs and this was my fortune. As Tela would say back in the day in Spanish class, "Ah, que suerte!"

10/365
got mah hurr did

 I am apparently addicted to getting my hair done now... I did want to go a little darker so my new hairdresser complied. You can't really tell in this picture, but there are some red tones in it as well. I'm loving it so far!

11/365
movie shoes

Right after Christmas, Match and I headed over to Sissy's house for a dinner party with BIL's family. I was wearing these shoes. BIL's mom walked up to me and said, "Oh, wow, I have only ever seen those shoes in the movies."

Can someone tell me what that means?

12/365
leaving on a jet plane

This was the view out my airplane window when we hit 10,000 feet. Leaving Phoenix headed to Denver.

Did you know there is a whole conspiracy theory about the Denver Airport being the headquarters for the NWO? People are crazy!

13/365
beading and baking

Went with PR to the bead store in Denver to make some jewelry. Despite being totally overwhelmed, I was able to fashion the earrings you see on top there. I was pretty impressed!

Then it was home to bake German Chocolate Cake for her hubby's birthday. I'm not much a fan of German Chocolate cake - I'll just take the frosting, please.

14/365
fountainhead

I am trying with all my might to read this book and it is just not happening. I keep falling asleep.

15/365
pedis and mimosas

Sunday morning we headed down the street for pedicures and mimosas. I'll have to tell you about the adventure we encountered in my detailed Denver post.

16/365
shadytown

Seriously, is there anything more shady than an old school briefcase?

I used to work with a guy who carried one of these and I couldn't help but giggle during our annual convention when he would sit in our committee meeting and put it up on the table and open it up. I always thought it would be full of piles of money.

17/365
injured list

I really truly have no idea how I did it, but can you see how swollen my left ankle is in the pictures? It didn't hurt so bad yesterday, but it was super swollen so I wrapped it when I got home and elevated it. I managed at the gym this morning with no pain and a little ice and advil dulled the pain this morning. I'm hoping that since it just randomly swelled, it will just randomly heal too...

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Ranting and Raving


Alright, I’m going to get up on my soapbox for a moment.

Please forgive me, but I can not hold this in any longer!!!

Yesterday, at a luncheon, I was sitting behind a coworker. This particular woman is a high-ranking official in the City and by all accounts, well-educated.

She seems to be a bit of a fitness nut, and partakes in the lunchtime yoga and pilates that are offered for employees of the City. I also happen to know that she is a vegetarian, though I’ve never had a conversation with her about it. It also should be known that she drinks decaf coffee. (I don’t know why it should be known – I’m just trying to give you all of the background that I have.)

I do know that she is a “horse person” (forgive me if you are one – I generally try not to stereotype), so I am unable to discern if her vegetarian tendencies are for “nutritional reasons” or because she thinks that animals deserve the same rights as humans.

So, back to the lunch…

My back is to her so I can not see what is in front of her, but I can hear her.

The waiter brings out the salads, they are of the Ceaser variety and the dressing is already on them. She tells the waiter that she does not want a salad unless he can bring it without the dressing. I figure it is because there are often anchovies in Ceaser dressing and she doesn’t eat those.

(To be fair, I also did not eat the salad because I figured that the dressing contained gluten and there were also croutons on it.)

Then, they start bringing out the meals. She has ordered the vegetarian option which includes grilled vegetables and a small dish of pasta with some kind of cream sauce on top.

(I won’t get into how angry I am that the gluten-free option was again a fruit plate. Though I was prepared this time and brought back-up snacks to the office in case of emergency.)

So, everyone eats their meals while the Mayor is giving the wonderful speech that I wrote for him… sorry I got distracted for a moment. J

The waiter comes to begin clearing the plates and I overhear the following conversation:

Waiter: Would you like me to bring you the fruit plate instead?
Vegetarian: No, it is just that this was made with eggs and I don’t eat eggs. When you get a chance could you please bring me another Diet Coke?

HOLD. The. Freaking. Phone!

Let me get this straight: You won’t eat the pasta because the sauce was made with eggs, and God forbid you eat an egg. BUT, you’ll go ahead and drink another Diet Coke. Do you know what is in Diet Coke?

Which brings me to my point – I know, it took me a while to get here, but I know you all are trying to waste time by reading my blog so I didn’t want the fun to end too soon.

We, as Americans (and perhaps as Canadians, Russians, or whoever else is reading this blog from parts unknown), have become so inundated with information – nutritional and otherwise – that we can not even make logical choices.

We don’t eat eggs because the yolks have too much cholesterol, but we will drink 44 ounces of soda – diet or regular – a day. Do you know how much sugar is in a 44 ounce soda? How about how much aspartame in a diet soda?

Lord help me, I sound like my mother…

But I am serious.

I am not saying that everyone should eat Paleo (although I would enjoy it because I wouldn’t have to modify every dish at a restaurant and you would all feel as great as I do), but I am saying that we need to stop for a minute and understand what we are eating.

And understand that the information that is being fed to us by the media and others may not always be the exact truth.

If there is one thing I learned in college (don’t worry Match and Papa, I learned more than one thing…), it was in my statistics class and it was this: Researchers can make the data say anything they want. Someone pays for those studies to be done and they are certainly not going to be releasing information that is detrimental to their product/profit.

So don’t take this as my edict to swear off all soda and aspartame. I honestly don’t even have an opinion on high fructose corn syrup – not because I think it is good or bad, but because I haven’t learned enough either way to say for sure.

Let’s just agree to be smart in our decision making – if everything you are eating has HFCS in it – I can guarantee you, you are going to see some negative effects of that.

Just like if you ate a dozen eggs a day your cholesterol would probably raise.

So go ahead and have your treats, but pay attention to how much of it you are having. And what you are giving up that might actually be good for you.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Instagram Miscellany

2/365
bacon-wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates

YUM!

I made these tasty Paleo treats on Monday and snacked on them all week. They were D-LISH!

Next time I think I'll try a balsamic vinegar reduction on top.


3/365
packing up and moving out

An almost nightly sight in my room.

My clothes and bag packed so I can leave for early CrossFit and then head over to AuntPat's house to get ready for work.

I can't begin to tell you the stress of choosing your clothes the night before you wear them with no option to change the next day.


4/365
centennial

This beautiful lady sits on top of the Arizona State Capitol building. She lives on top of the copper dome that you see peaking above the building.

When we were kids and we would drive down the I-10 freeway with Papa, he would inevitably say, "Kids, see that copper dome over there? That's the State Capitol."

I honestly can not see that dome without thinking those words.

On February 14, 2012, Arizona will celebrate her 100th birthday. 


5/365
veggies

These are the delicious veggies that I sauteed for my chicken and veggie paleo curry.

It was wonderful! When I get some free time in the next couple of weeks I will make up another batch of curry sauce for the freezer.


6/365
hub

On Friday night, Tiger and I went out to eat in downtown Tucson at the most delicious restaurant EVER!

We shared some delicious french fries, salad, and salmon. Then we each got our own ice cream.

It was worth every calorie!



7/365
hell has no fury

On Saturday, I went to cheer on my CrossFit Fury peeps at a competition in Tucson.

It was amazing! Seriously, if you haven't watched a CrossFit competition, do it!

My gym took home the Silver in the women's competition and swept the medals in the men's.

I am proud to be a member of such a great gym!


8/365
well-deserved

On Sunday I had the most well-deserved cup of coffee of my life!

I picked Granny B up at 10:30am and headed into Phoenix to meet Banana, Bunner, and SuperFan at a restaurant that was previously chosen.

We got there and discovered that it wasn't open on Sundays.

So Granny B chose another restaurant.

We drove there and discovered it didn't open until dinner on Sundays.

Banana and I chose another restaurant.

It was an hour and a half wait.

Finally, after making a few phone calls we ended up at Windsor and this delicious cup of coffee was there to greet me!


Now head on over to Carissa's blog and link up.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

No Time To Think


Man, I'll tell you what - this week has been CRAZY!


Between work events and birthday dinner, I feel like I've been going, going, going with no time to think.


We did have Monday off of work, and I started the day/week/year off right with CrossFit at 6am. The WOD was Helen - which consists of three rounds of a 400 m run, 21 kettle bell swings (35 lb), 12 pull-ups (I do jumping). I finished that workout in 9:49, which I was super proud of!


Then, as we were resting the CrossFit class was getting ready to run a mile for time. So my coach decided we would do that. Not having run a mile for time in a while, I really didn't have an idea of how fast I could do it, but I knew that my fastest run was in the 10:40/mile range for a 5K so I thought it would be in that area. I was feeling a little silly because the CrossFitters were talking about doing 5- and 6-minute miles. But I thought that all I can do is my best, so off I went.


As I was finishing the first 800, the clock was around the 4-minute mark and there was one CrossFit lady not too far in front of me. As I ran by my coach whispered to me, "Catch her, Airplane." And catch her I did. I beat her by about a minute and came in at my fastest mile ever in 8:28. Super stoked! I will try to run a couple more throughout the year to see how I'm doing.


Wednesday was Dirty's birthday and Thursday was Munchkin's, so on Wednesday night Diddy and I took them out for the 2nd Annual Birthday Sushi Extravaganza! It was a riot! I'm telling you what, that Munchkin is hilarious! And she promised Diddy and I that for our birthdays we can take her to a Little People convention - we are STOKED!!


Friday afternoon I headed down to Tucson to stay the night with Tiger (formerly Peach), so that I could be a spectator/cheerleader for my CrossFit peeps at a competition on Saturday morning. 


Then it was home last night to meet up with Diddy, Dirty, and some others for a night of dancing.


Birthday lunch with Granny B this afternoon wrapped up the week and I am exhausted!


I hope to post more in the coming week...



Monday, January 2, 2012

2012 Miscellany

Warning: Lots of iPhone pics ahead...

one
my favorite elf

Still catching up from Christmas, but if this isn't the most adorable kid you've ever seen, I don't believe you.


Tiny wasn't feeling so well on Christmas Day - leading to the rosy cheeks. I don't know why he has an ET light on his finger.

two
a long time ago

Every year Match and Papa clear off the refrigerator and put up pictures from Christmases past. 


Check out how cute Sissy and I were back in the day!

Speaking of back in the day, SBS and her neighbor two doors do
wn (in Salt Lake City) became Facebook friends last week. When the neighbor was checking out her page, she noticed that we were friends also. So she asked her husband if he thought it was the same Airplane he used to babysit. This particular picture happened to be my profile pic at the time and he took one look at it and realized that it was, in fact, me!

How strange is that? I haven't seen him in over ten years and he lives two doors down from my sorority sister.

three
hangin' tough

Check out the retro gem that JP found for me when cleaning out her grandpa's house.


I've never been happier for a present that cost less than $5!

four
pajama party

Papa and I got all comfy in our jammies and settled in to watch UFC 141 on Friday.


Match and Dirty were there as well, but they just came for the wine - they aren't into the fights.

five
full-time fancy

In a last minute change of plans, I ended up at the Fiesta Bowl Gala on New Year's Eve.


It was a super fancy party and I had a blast! A big change from the past couple of years when I barely made it to the East Coast new year...

six
happy birthday!

Granny B and Shosh (formerly YogaHippie) share New Year's Day as a birthday.

(there is a faction of people who believe that Granny's birthday is the day before and there is a major battle about what year she was born, but I'm not going to get in the middle of it.)


Blowing out the candles.

seven
instagram


1/365

eight
muscle up

At the birthday party yesterday I asked Tiny to show me his big muscles.

He informed me that he had little muscles and then produced this pose:

.

Seriously - SO adorable!

nine
arizona weather

On Friday, Papa and I met up with Sissy and the boys to check out the Arizona National Livestock Show.

It was a beautiful day to be with the loves of my life and to enjoy some post-show ice cream.

 .
Now head on over and link up with Carissa.