Comments (10)

By kilax, January 28, 2012 5:51 am

Last time I traveled I packed an overabundance of workout clothes. This time, it’s all about an overabundance of purple.

Oops?

I am going to make a wild guess that I like wearing the color purple.

This is where I would ask you guys if there is a color you wear more often than others, or what your packing methodology is, but since I have already written posts about both, I will skip it. Geez, I feel like I am really running out of material!

Oh! Here is something to ask that I really do need help with – how do you keep your things organized while you travel?

When I am in a hotel room, it’s really easy to keep my things organized because I have so much space. But when I stay in someones  homes, I feel like my things explode all over… and it makes me crazy having my stuff everywhere! I usually wear two outfits a day (exercise + street clothes) when I travel, so I just have so much extra clothes. And all the other stuff that comes along with being a runner. 

Do I just need to take the time to repack my suitcase each time I use it, to keep the mess contained? Or should I stack things up around it (like I started to in the picture above)? Or should I just shove everything back in it?

Also… how am I going to fit all of this stuff I bought at HyVee in to my suitcase?! Damn you HyVee and your awesome food selection!!!

Comments (23)

By kilax, January 12, 2012 5:30 am

• Today’s my best friend Erin‘s birthday! Happy Birthday Erin!

One of my fave pics of the two of us

• A coworker mentioned that one of her New Year’s resolutions was to be “more liquid.” I was all “huh?” so she explained it means to go with the flow, be more accepting to change. That is a very cool way to say it. And a good goal. I am kind of a brat when I don’t get my way (at home anyway – I try to behave in public). Have you heard that saying before? Are you very liquid?
• Would you believe Steven is in Miami and asked me if I wanted to come this weekend and I declined? I decided traveling to Iowa last weekend and KC at the end of the month would be too much travel. Yes. I am an old lady. Picture of the ocean from his hotel:

• Speaking of being an old lady, I actually purchased, on purpose, dorky holiday earrings for next year. Who wants to make a reservation now to take me as their holiday party date? Don’t all ask at once!

• Since I am totally cool, I traveled with my scale to Iowa, to keep my eating in check this weekend. Lame? Yes. Did I gain any weight while I was there? NO. And that made me feel good. For once, I did not overdo it (too much) while visiting family. 

• I really liked Abbi’s post, Consistently Inconsistent, about her struggles with deciding which animal products to consume. Check it out!
• I met a local blogger for lunch on Monday – Losing Lindy. Check out her blog! She is a beginning runner, fellow Chicagoland-ian, and has a 4-year-old son.  
• Carol has a great post, Faith & Pay Off, about how difficult it is to eat healthy when we don’t see immediate results. 
• Sunny wrote a really interesting post, Fear of Parenting, about her fears of becoming a foster parent. I hope some of you parents click on over to give her some input! I didn’t have any, but she raised some very interesting questions. 
• My close friend Jen has a guest post on Fitnessista’s blog about her birth story. Check it out here!
• And in case you missed it last week, Erin wrote a really cool post, Balance, about being the best version of herself in 2012. 

Comments (19)

By kilax, January 5, 2012 4:43 pm

Who else packs just as much (if not more) workout attire as regular attire when they travel?

So so guilty of this… I have one top for each day I’ll be gone, and one pair of jeans… but multiple exercise outfit options. Ha ha ha. To my credit, I am doing two runs and a Zumba class. That makes it better, right?

Comments (21)

By kilax, November 15, 2011 6:07 am

Apparently, Data turned in to an interior designer while we were in NYC.

Wow Data. Thanks for rearranging the dining room table set up for us. I really like it! Very modern. 

Data seems to be really happy to have us home (I wonder how long that will last). We were in NYC for a long time – we arrived on Friday the 4th and got back Saturday the 12th! The funny thing is, in the beginning, it felt like we had all the time in the world, like it was the longest vacation ever. Then by the end, it felt like the days were just speeding by!

We were able to see and do (and eat!) everything we wanted to, but there is always so much more to do there. I’m already excited about our next (unplanned) trip. I just love visiting NYC. I love wandering around, just stumbling along things to see and do (and eat!*). I feel like there’s something for everyone there!

And what made it even better is that we were staying with our friends Gina and Steve in Astoria (Queens). So after our long days in Manhattan on our feet, we were able to go back to their house and chill.

I love the area of Queens they live in. It totally reminds me of when I lived in Rome – (somewhat) quiet streets with housing, right next to little shops**, selling all sorts of things and services. Lots of people out and about. Tiny little speciality grocery shops. People selling stuff on the streets. It’s a fun place!

Every time I visit NYC I wonder if I would like living there. My company has an office in Manhattan, so it’s a possibility to transfer. Manhattan seems really crowded though. And that is why I like living in the suburbs of Chicago (rather than the city) - because there are not many people, it’s usually quiet, and it’s really green. I don’t mind the crowds when I am in NYC on vacation, but I wonder if it would get to me if I lived there. Probably! Sometimes I am annoyed in Chicago and all I do is work there!

Have you visited any place on vacation and thought “I might like living here?” Where was it?

*We saw so many random vegan and vegetarian restaurants!
**They also have more mainstream stuff, like Starbucks and CVS.

Comments (20)

By kilax, November 12, 2011 5:08 am

A small glimpse of our November NYC trip…

Friday November 4

Empire State Building in ING colors for the marathon

Saturday November 5

Dash to the Finish Line 5K (photo from here)

Sunday November 6

Brooklyn Bridge (taken by Gina)

The other Team Kim (taken by Gina)

Fred Lebow Place (taken by Gina)

Monday November 7

We love the Subway!

One World Trade Center

9/11 Memorial

Tuesday November 8

The Old Times Square ball

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Atlas

Wednesday November 9

The High Line

Flatiron Building

New York City Public Library

Thursday November 10

S’Mac

Statue of Liberty

Friday November 11

Union Square Greenmarket

abc carpet & home

Washington Square Park

More words to come!

Comments (30)

By kilax, November 8, 2011 8:56 pm

My name ended up being in the paper after all (27F, at the end)!

Steven and I headed to the marathon store in Central Park yesterday and I decided to pick up a paper even though they said only finishers under 4:30 would get in. I was really surprised to see my name! Gina shared this article with me about fitting names in the paper. 

The marathon store was crazy! We waited in line outside of Central Park to get in to another line inside the park… to get in to the store. But I was very excited to pick up a few souvenirs for my spectators. 

And you know what else was exciting? How many freaking people there were walking around wearing their medals! And not just around Central Park, but all over Manhattan (we got around quite a bit yesterday!). I wore my marathon shirt on Monday and my medal when I was in Central Park. People were congratulating me all day, everywhere. The city really does get pumped about the marathon! So very cool. 

Do people in other cities wear their medals like that the day after? I even saw people wearing their medals today!

We’ve been going all over the last two days. Lots and lots of stairs. I have swollen feet, a sore right quad and a left heel that sometimes has stabbing pain. But other than that I am doing good. All this sightseeing is wearing me down, but the weather is perfect and we are having too much fun not to go out and about! So far we’ve seen the 9/11 memorial, been to SoHo, spent a ton of time in Times Square (did the CSI experience thing) walked up most of 5th Avenue north of Times Square to Central Park, and been in a lot of cool shops. And a ton of other stuff I am not mentioning. And there is still a ton of other stuff we want to do. 

Maybe I will post some overall pictures of that stuff later if people are interested?

Also, guess who my sister met today, for reals! Do you know who this is? 

Comments (23)

By kilax, November 4, 2011 11:11 pm

I don’t feel like I am in NYC to run a marathon. I feel like I am here to spend time with my awesome friends Gina and Steve (and Luca and Manny!) and bonus – spend time with my sister and her boyfriend who are also here! I better get my act together, because I do have a marathon to run! 

And a 5K too! Gina and I will be doing the Dash to the Finish Line 5K tomorrow! 

Our flight was a bit late today so we immediately booked it to the expo when we got in. I think we were cutting it short with getting our bibs for the 5K, but we were successful.

I also was really interested in the marathon themed orange arm warmers, so I had to get them. Along with a pair of gloves I thought were silly until I saw them in person, a tee, and gifts for two friends. 

We didn’t spend too much time at the expo though. It was in the middle of nowhere and we (Gina, Will, Christina and I) made the trek back to Gina’s for pizza…

And Gina and Steve surprised me with a marathon goodie bag! They are too good to me! How did I get so lucky? This is going to be a great trip!

I just need to make sure not to have too much fun tomorrow and wear myself out for the race on Sunday!

Comments (22)

By kilax, September 28, 2011 6:04 am

• It seems like lately my blog is a lot of “I bought this” and “look at me” (okay, more than normal at the “look at me” part). I don’t mean to be obnoxious. I just like to share the things I am excited about. Some of the bullets below are similar… so skip if you want!
• Steven just got back from a work trip to Jersey City/NYC! Why don’t I get to go cool places for work? Alright, I have gone to D.C. twice and thought that was awesome. Anyway, you could see the NYC skyline from the hotel Steven was staying in. And he saw people running on this boardwalk next to the hotel and he said it made him think of me. 

• Steven brought me back a bracelet and chocolate. He definitely knows the way to my heart!

• Speaking of NYC, our friends from NYC are coming to visit next weekend. I am super excited to show them around.
• Our new camera came! I have not taken many photos with it yet, but am excited to try it out. It does seem a bit more plastic-y and cheaper than our last Canon, but I hope it holds out. Here are some comparison pictures – the new camera is the orange one (I think I bought the silver one in 2004 – we’ve had it awhile!).

• My coworked gave me these headbands (she made) to thank me for her birthday gift.

• I upgraded to the newest version of WordPress last week and it really messes up bulleted posts (photo alignment), and won’t let me edit much coding. And the visual editor is all messed up. I tried a plugin install and that didn’t help much. Maybe I will try Live Writer (probably not). Oh well. It doesn’t seem to be holding me back from posting!
• I feel totally dumped on at work lately. I like being busy, but not dumped on.
• I think it’s annoying when people complain about the rain – what can you do about it, right? But seriously, I have gotten rained on every day this week, on the walk to the train, to the office, back to the train, and home. Sigh. So… I am trying not to complain about it and am looking forward to a break from the rain!
• I think we will have a break from the rain this weekend. Right now the forecast for Sunday’s marathon is sunny and a high of 62! Sounds good to me!

Comments (20)

By kilax, September 19, 2011 8:59 am

• Yay! I get to go to Louisville for another four-day trip. Sigh. I am happy to be out of the office but don’t feel quite up to making small talk all week (and I am not really sure I will feel like I am out of the office – I am getting bombarded at work).
• I found out my flight was delayed by two hours when I arrived at the airport. Oops. It gave me plenty of time to get through security (that’s the line to the security line in the picture below) then eat breakfast and do some work. Yay, productive morning.

• I’ve been meaning to ask this for awhile – do you prefer air hand dryers or paper towels in public restrooms? For me, it’s paper towels all the way (yeah, I know it’s not sustainable). I am too impatient to wait for air hand dryers, and am especially annoyed by those turbo/jet ones.

• I decided to make my own trail mix to bring with – by combining a seed/nut trail mix and a fruit mix. But first I had to take out the icky tree nuts. I do not care for tree nuts – the smell of them makes me feel sick (headaches) and I don’t like the way they taste.

  

• I might start reading Cycling Home from Siberia on the plane . My sister’s boyfriend loaned it to me.
• If I don’t read on the plane I will most surely be sleeping. All I wanted this weekend was a nap and I never got one.
• I got a text from my brother this am that he is going to be in the Chicagoland area all week. While I am gone. Great luck, I have!
• This post is boring – just a glimpse in to my week, ha ha. Obviously I feel kind of blah today, so please feel free to leave me comments with happy news/distractions.

Comments (15)

By kilax, August 11, 2011 12:38 pm

• The sleep support helped with my plantar fasciitis! I woke up with no pain and have felt great so far today! I did have to figure out how to adjust it so my foot didn’t go numb, but I didn’t mind sleeping in it once I figured it out. Hopefully I am on the road to recovery.
• The women’s bathroom on my floor at work is being remodeled so I have to go one floor below (or two above) mine. Apparently this means I wait until the last minute to go, then I quite often get stopped by someone to chat on my way down there. Pretty soon I am going to be doing the “I have to pee” dance in the hallways if this keeps happening.
• I’ve had a $200 Banana Republic gift card for two years and had only used $15 on it! Who does that?! Do you have any really old gift cards? We still have some from our September 2007 wedding! I decided it was a shame I hadn’t used the Banana Republic one and asked Erin to help me pick out some new clothes (Thanks a million to Erin!). Ta da:

• Does anyone else have a million and one mosquito bites? Wah, I am so itchy.
• We booked our November flight to New York City last week! We were able to get (imo) a very decent price on the flight, and because we are staying with friends, we can stay for quite some time. And my sister and her boyfriend are going to be there as well (but staying in the city). Can’t wait!
• Speaking of travel, my passport is not up to date (it has my maiden name on it) and it makes me feel so trapped. Not that I travel out of the country much, but that’s how it makes me feel! Steven and I plan to renew our passports this fall.