Rants, Recipes, and Running

Friday was my Golden birthday! Funny story about that..... Confession time : I lie about my age . Almost daily. I tell people I'm older than my actual age, so I am taken more seriously. Especially at work. Because in my experiences, when I tell them how old I actually am, they automatically judge me as some irresponsible, 20-something who still gets her bills paid by Mom and Dad. And it infuriates me so very much ! Because I am a 20-something who is paying off a mortgage, enjoys gardening, reads "Southern Living" magazine, and talks frequently about "retirement savings" with her spouse. Because I lie so frequently about my age, I got confused about how old I was turning this year. So I swore I was turning 28. Come to find out, it was 27! This was discovered 2 days before my birthday, when my husband had to politely ask me to " do the math, babe ." It was an amazing weekend packed with all the things I love! Friday was the actually birthda

I really need to do a "re-cap" post on my birthday weekend, but that will come later. Instead, I am stealing my sister's post idea from today - called "little letters". Dear Miles (our 15 week old puppy), I take one rest day a week, where I sleep until 6 am. Could you please get it right, and sleep in as well? It sure would be lovely to have one day of the week where I sleep past 5. :) Sincerely, Tired Pet-Owner Dear March 11 , Please get here soon. I have 7 work days left, and it is so tough to be present when not just my foot , but my entire leg is "out the door". Your truly, Tendered Resignation Dear March Weather, In opposition to the rest of the county, I would like you to linger. Soon it will be 90 degrees on my 5 am runs and 100 degrees when I get home from work in the evening. I'm savoring these pleasant 70 degree days. Sincerely, Runner Who Doesn't Like Rhabdo Dear Cubical-mate , Please go see your ENT doctor and get those

We did our 2nd training hike for the Kalalua trail yesterday. This time we got a little more serious about the weight we put in our packs! It was really good practice for 2 reasons. 1) We practiced packing our backpack. Which takes skill . You have to disperse the weight a certain way so it helps with balance and comfort. And you have to seriously use some muscle to get your gear compact! (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothes, tent, water, and any other supplies needed). 2) Hiking in Tucson has it's challenges. Most of the trails are very steep and rocky. Now adding extra weight? All of a sudden 11 miles is no joke! Here are a few photos we took along the way! It was a beautiful morning, as there was a storm passing through the canyon!   The desert is so green right now with the plentiful rains that January brought. (Green for the desert)       A few things I learned on this hike:   I am super excited for more backpacking trips ahead! I nee