Vida

When I walk outside to the chilly air after work to start my bike ride home, this view helps me be a bit more positive.

Today my cubemates and I had a fiesta celebrating ourselves.  I planned it before I took my time off so we could celebrate the work we do and have a little fun. I brought in some snacks to celebrate. I didn't think about this when I bought the yogurt covered pretzels, but once Rubina & I opened the bag memories came back to me. Every Christmas my Grandma would get a bunch of yogurt covered pretzels as gifts.  Grandma was always willing to share and when she offered any/all of her treats when I visited, I would always go for the yogurt covered pretzels.  After this happening a couple years, she started insisting i take a little bag of the pretzels with me. This is my first Christmas in a long time without her little bag of yogurt covered pretzels.  I talked about it with Rubina and explained it was a happy memory and it would just make me enjoy them even more.

i really do love thrifting.   i feel like it has a negative connotation and i think it's sad.  At work when I get compliments on my outfit many times I say, "Thanks, it's a thrift find."  ( or at an outlet mall or it was my dad/mom/grandma's)  I used to get a surprised look in reply (now they're used to it coming from me). you can find some really nice stuff thrifting.  honestly, it's where i buy the majority of my clothes. one of my co-workers said i should blog about it.  i guess i hadn't thought of it because it comes pretty naturally to me.  i going to try to start including my hunts for bargains with you.  (if i can remember... it's hard to think to share something that comes so naturally) There are so many thrift shops in Chicago (and several very close to me).  I love it.  I think my favorite is crossroads trading . When you hear the word, thrifting, what do you think?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful day with friends and family.   Karen & I ran a 5K this morning to start the festivities and headed straight to Grandma's for her delicious cinnamon rolls =) I hope you had a chance to play with google 's graphic.  I thought it was super fun =) ( via ) You're welcome Mr. Turkey =)

how do you feel about black friday?  i can't really judge because i've never gone.  i think it's pretty crazy.  from what i've heard, i don't think it's for me.  especially with my finicky enjoyment of shopping.  i guess cyber monday is more my thing, but i don't really get that either.  how do you find all the deals? this is the second year of small business saturday .  the idea is to go support a local business near you.  i think this is right up my alley.  Shopping at local small businesses is good for local economies, can be great for reducing transportation impact (at least for getting from your home to the shop), and often local businesses are vital outlets for smaller craftspeople, food producers, and manufactures. i'm lucky that at my place in chicago i'm surrounded by small businesses so i go to them all the time and it's easy to get unique gifts for others.  i'm also lucky that growing up my dad always encouraged us t...

Remember how I said "details to come..." with why i was excited for thanksgiving.   Now I can share ALL the details.   My dad's 60th birthday was Saturday and Jeff, Greta, Charlie , & I surprised him Friday night.  (Karen came too and Dad was super excited to see her too, but he knew she was coming.) We had a fun weekend visiting and hanging out (and passing around Charlie)  ;) I have a few photos to share. Charlie's working on his fine motor skills.  He liked pulling on my hair.  I didn't mind. Now I'm hanging out with my parents for the week with Thanksgiving Thursday at my aunt's.   Friday we're heading to Wichita for Thanksgiving on Saturday with Jeff, Greta, Charlie, and Greta's family. Sunday is Charlie's baptism.  Then it's back to Chicago. Now you see why I was excited???!?!!?

Tuesday was not a great day. (Actually Tuesday-Friday weren't excellent days.) But such is life. Tuesday I went out to a school with Kyle with the Dome.  We got everything set-up and were ready to go right on schedule. Long story short the main piece of the speakers shorted out.  We tried everything!   The principal was not happy, obviously.  And she let me know. Kyle and I stayed calm.  We took the situation we had and did the best we could.  Split up tasks: he contacted the Adler so we could get working equipment and I tried to keep the principal calm. It made the awful situation the best possible.  When I'm with people who overreact they just make the situation worse for everyone. This week I'm thankful for the ability to stay calm and understand when there is nothing else you can do, you just make the best of it.

i decided this winter i'm going to try and be positive!   i don't like winter. i don't. but rather than dwelling on this fact all winter, i'm going to find things to make me happy in the winter. i'm calling it winter orangeness.  because people say the winter blues.  so orange is opposite of blue.  i'm going for the opposite. the weather changed to the 30s.  i'm still running outside.  if i dress properly, it's not so bad.  although this morning when i got home my legs were very red... it was quite cold. i'm also still biking to work.  for a few reasons:  it's free, it takes half the time as the bus, and it calms me down.  i won't let winter take that away from me... yet. so my winter orangeness for today is still doing things that i love even though it's coldish...

Something that's really important to me is being green/eco-friendly, whatever you want to call it.  I try to keep it to myself (so I'm not too annoying) most the time.   Although, not so much with Karen (and sometimes my dad).  They hear about green tips and tricks and me telling them what to do all the time.  One of the many things they have to put up with from me. Anyway... where was I? Oh, yes.  I decided to share some of my tips with you.  I've been planning these posts for awhile and this week is Green Week on NBC so I thought now is the time to start the posts.  I'm going to have about one tip or green fact each week.  I like NBC's Green Week that they say:  "You don't have to do a lot, to do a lot."  Which is basically what I wrote when I was planning out introducing these posts (with different words).   No one is perfect.  And no one can do everything.  But anything you can do, helps! tip time:   br...

the weather this weekend was WONDERFUL!  Yesterday I went running in shorts and a tshirt and I was very comfortable.  I probably could have even worn a tank top... very different than my pants, long sleeve tee, sweatshirt, and head wrap thing I wore earlier in the week.  I loved it and I think the cold of the week helped me to appreciate the 60s even more. also sunday i decided to make a grocery trip to trader joes.  on my walk from my bike to the store i walked by a bus stop where there was a little girl (probably about 6 years old) yelling a children's song they sing in mexico.  she was having a great time and i had to smile.   i love little reminders of my time in mexico. she was singing this ice breakerish song "quien esta ahi?"  and responding "robot esta ahi?" and it keeps going

Here's an article I'd like to encourage you to read. I'll warn you it is a teensy bit long.  It's long.  But worth it. And the fact that I just said that probably fits me right in with the society that they're discussing.   Sometimes it pays off to take a break from your head and notice what's happening around you.  Or always. Watching the video weeks later, Bell finds himself mystified by one thing only. He understands why he's not drawing a crowd, in the rush of a morning workday. But: "I'm surprised at the number of people who don't pay attention at all, as if I'm invisible. Because, you know what? I'm makin' a lot of noise!" I can admit to being guilty of what they talk about in the article.  Absolutely. Honestly, the only place I've really observed people being aware of their surroundings and offering to help others is the Lakefront Path.  And that's sometimes.  (not to say people don't help others ...

( via ) Yes, I like Santa.  But why is everyone so anxious to start with Christmas?  Why can't we appreciate Thanksgiving first? don't get me wrong, i'm excited to watch Love Actually again (when it's in-season.  i actually watch it all year long). everyone kept talking about christmas being everywhere this month, but i really only encountered it when i walked around the mall with Greta (my sister-in-law) on Monday.  it was all over the mall.  it could have been december. look what Nordstrom is doing i'm actually really excited for thanksgiving this year... (details to follow) but as far as today goes... I have to share this with you because I think it's funny ( via ) actually... at 11:11 I was running around looking for a book called The Moon Seems to Change

yes, i know it's cold outside, but today i want to talk about FUN! i came across this experiment sponsored by volkswagon:   the fun theory !  It's about using fun to change people's behaviors' for the better. watch a couple videos.  it's pretty fun . i figure today is just practice for the winter and we have to continue to have fun in the winter, even if it is not so welcoming outside. Do something FUN today!

i've been trying out some new recipes lately (as per usual).   tomorrow one of my friends is coming over to make a new recipe she picked out so i'm excited to give that a try too! pot roast (with tempeh serving as the meat)-who knew there is a vegetarian version of pot roast? apple crisp herb quick bread today i'm going to feature my adventures making pumpkin donuts . (i love sweet recipes that allow me to cut them in half... like this one) i've never made donuts before and i'm not quite sure what i was expecting... suggestion #1 have a donut pan.  i don't (obviously) and didn't do the muffin pan suggestion either.  i decided to use a cookie sheet and form my own donut circles.   donut dough is much stickier than i imagined.  i made artistic circles ;) i left the glaze off and i thought they were delicious.

Today was a pretty uncomfortable day...  I was wet the majority of the day.  (Bad decision riding my bike to work today.) But we're talking about happy times here.   Without further ado... because I can't wait to start =) Last weekend I was able to make a trip to Wichita to visit my brother and sister-in-law AND meet my 4-week old baby nephew, Charlie! I hadn't been there since their wedding (almost 3 years ago) and they did a lot of home improvement projects since then:  kitchen, bathroom, nursery, etc.  Their house is definitely beautiful. It's always fun to spend some time with them. (I don't get to see them very often during the year.)  It's so fun to catch-up and hear what's going on in their lives! Meeting Charlie was so wonderful!  He's such a cute little baby.  And I would say he's a pretty easy baby.  He stumped us a few times with what was wrong, but he definitely loves to bounce and his mother's touch.   Jeff &...

i went and got my hair done for the first time wednesday... i got it dyed and cut (pretty majorly...5 or 6 inches) before the appointment i told my cubemates about it tuesday.  wednesday rubina was all excited for me so she said something about it.  i didn't turn around until rubina started laughing and said "kyle's not ready yet."  everyone has a level of control over hair.  apparently even co-worker's. but yesterday they both approved. Why?  Because it was time for a change. -i don't love dealing with long hair in the winter.  ex:  scarves, static, etc. -this is the time of year when the sun stops naturally highlighting my hair (because i'm not in the sun as much) and it starts to look like i highlighted my hair and now i'm growing it out... roots.  not attractive. I have a few questions for people who go get their hair dyed and highlighted every few weeks: #1 HOW???!!?!? #2 Aren't you bored?  At the end I was SO r...

i stuck with my find something in my closet and create a costume again this year.   saturday night i was little red riding hood.  i pulled out a red cape i wore when i was 8ish and the rest of the costume didn't really matter.  people knew what i was!  (sorry... no pics) next year i have my sights set on a really creative costume (still from my closet of course)...  i just wasn't really feeling it this year.  favorite costume: - french toast a girl had a piece of bread made out of poster board on her front and back a frenchish shirt , beret, and mustache drawn on.  i turned to inez and asked if she was toast or a sandwich.  she didn't hesitate for a second and said, "she's french toast, Lisa."  ohhhhh.  very creative! -i really liked the chiquita banana lady.  a long yellow dress with a fruit thing on her head.  i have no idea how she made it stay. -there was a pinocchio that was pretty awesome too! what did...

October was a pretty amazing month: *ran my third marathon *became an aunt *AMAZING Cardinals month.  Capped off with winning the world series! Good luck November.  You have a lot to live up to. Yesterday I saw an older couple flying kites in the park on my ride home from work (it was so nice outside).  It was super cute.  So because of that November's off to a good start.  It better keep going!

5:15 am (sunday morning)- my alarm went off.   'Why is my alarm going off so early ON MY DAY OFF?!!??!'  (and after celebrating Halloween the night before) 'Oh yeah, it's Cardinals day!' And I hopped out of bed.  Ok, maybe hopped is an exaggeration.  But I did get up & deep down I knew I was excited. I'm a pretty impulsive person by nature (and I have problems making decisions until the last minute).  To clarify, this is in my personal life, not professionally.  I'm quite rational professionally. Yea for being impulsive. I got to St. Louis, walked around union station for a bit and then mom and dad were there before i knew it!  we found our spots for the parade about 3 hours before the parade started.  dad & i ended up walking along the route to the stadium, getting tshirts, looking for onesies with world series champs on it, enjoying the crowds, and getting some gus's .  then we made our way back to mom who was ...