Happy Birthday CB

Happy Birthday CB!!
You always make me smile when we are out running.
You're so damn cute when you're passed out.

Even at age 9, you still can do loads of cool tricks like roll over.
You've been there for me when many others turned their backs.


You are always game, for an impromptu game of ATTACK.

You're still a freaking awesome frisbee dog.

You make our small family complete.

Last night he got to eat tacos for dinner (a yearly tradition).

He also got this cool tornado puzzle.

For Christmas he got a disc puzzle which spits out treats when he hits it.

Not to be all sappy, but CB has been in my life for 9 years. 9 YEARS. I seriously can't remember life without him. I still remember the day I picked him up at the Greenville, SC Humane society. I walked in the puppy room and I knew instantly we were meant for each other. We've been inseparable ever since.

I hope we have many more runs and memories together.

Happy 9th Birthday!

-xaar

Thoughts {2}

•I wrote down my time "goals" i'd like to achieve in races this year. Putting these numbers on paper made me giddy with excitement. Last year I was 2 for 4 with surpassing my goals- only in the 5k and 8k... (I'm no longer counting the 10k since I don't race those) Perhaps this is the year Chicago is blessed with "perfect" weather for a half marathon I plan to run. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but surely won't hold my breath.

2013 time goals... So last year...

•I have not registered for any 2014 races currently. And it feels good and weird to not have an event on the horizon. With the knee still being a little funky I can't pull the trigger on anything yet- plus I'm tired of running in super shitty conditions for races (read: half marathon in sub freezing temps, with 30mph winds and sleet.) oh snap, I've actually done the rain/sleet-wind- freezing temps a few times, it's just not enjoyable getting the early symptoms of hypothermia. Plus, I'd rather spend a few extra $$$ knowing I'm 100% healthy for the race.


• My "theme" for running in 2014 is "cautiously aggressive." Cautious because I am injury prone and must constantly listen to- take care of my body to make sure I don't end up with injury again. Aggressive because I know I can HTFU a whole lot more. In the past month I've had some kick ass runs with some speedy (for me) paces.

•I don't do "resolutions" for the new year. I make changes weekly if not daily. Most of my "goals" keep evolving as time goes on.


•Eataly is one of the coolest places I've been in Chicago. It's like Ikea for all things Italian.


•Three Dots and a Dash might be my new favorite bar. What's not to love about a Tiki bar that makes you forget that the weather outside is "feels like negative 15?" Perhaps it was the rum drinks instead.


•I'm looking forward to running outside tomorrow. It will be "warm" with some snow. I've been enjoying my treadmill runs, but getting outside for a bit could be fun provided the path is plowed and salted.

- xaar

Tchau 2013

I'll get the running portion out of the way first...:

1433 Miles ran in 2013. An increase of 15% over 2012's 1245 miles. (An increase of 188 miles.)
2013 was a fantastic year for me! Running Wise it was a great year.This blog usually only highlights the running side of things, which is a tiny sliver of my real life.  I love looking back at my little slice of the internets to see where I've been and where I can improve.
One of the main highlights of 2013 was visiting Brasil for 9 days in January.  I was so happy to meet L's parents finally :)
I also enjoyed eating all the Brasilian foods- like this "Pastel" filled with ham, tomato and cheese from the farmers market post run. I still think about all the wonderful fresh foods I ate while there.
I also ate HALF of the most awesome mortadella sandwich in the world. That sandwich is like a once a year treat. But DAYUM it was delicious with a cold beer in the middle of the market.

Bar do Mane, Sao Paulo.

Along with all the amazingly friendly people I met in Brasil, I found a new "friend" at Parque Ibirapuera on one of my runs.

Galinha d'Angola

I hope to return to Brasil in 2014 to see L's family and our friends again. Just absolutely not during the World Cup or Carnivale.  Until then, I'll just keep cooking Brasilian food and looking at my old photos and posts from the trip.  Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,  Trofeu Cidade de Sao Paulo. (10k Race)


We did cool things.

Like go to 2 Chicago Bulls games.

Air Benny!

I went to a Chicago Cubs game again with co-workers. It's a yearly tradition.
L and I went to the Chicago Beer fest again and sampled waaay too many delicious beers mainly from the Mid West.

Pretzel necklaces worn like true craft beer geeks. We meant business.

We also brewed beer twice. The first batch (an IPA) came out terrible. Currently our 2nd batch- a Chocolate Maple Porter is in the fermentation stage and will hopefully yield a better result than our lysol IPA.  

One byproduct of the brewing process is the spent grain used in the "mash." Since this does not contain hops or anything else poisonous to dogs, it is completely safe to turn it into dog biscuits. This is the first time I've baked dog treats and was actually fun to make. 

CB knew I was making these for him and kept supervising me the entire time. I've never seen him so focused on one thing for so long. He is very pleased with the finished product and hopes we brew beer again soon.

Just add some peanut butter, eggs, and flour to the grains and BOOM 170+ biscuits!

We also went to cool places this year.

Asides from the trip to Brasil, we went to Las Vegas like we do each year for a conference. I realized this trip that I am "too old" and/or "not old enough" to really enjoy this place anymore.

**Too old because im not into getting shitfaced with the douchebags at the clubs, 

Not old enough because I don't enjoy gambling like the octogenarians. 

We also took a trip to the San Francisco Bay area so L could be a groomsman in his friend's wedding. While there, we went to the world famous Mikkeller Bar in San Francisco, and I was able to take some time before the wedding to go stand up paddle boarding in Monterey Bay where I made some new sea lion friends.

I can't believe the sea lion jumped out in front of me. I still can't believe I captured a photo of it. 

Friends and Family are everything.

We were fortunate to see so many people we love this year.

My Daad, L's God daughter, and some of our close friends among many others.

Oh and the *most significant* happening of 2013 was L and I got engaged!

We did it in the "Brasilian style" because well, L is Brasilian. The custom is quite different from America. There's no OMG TOTES SURPRISE viral showy proposal or diamond ring. Instead, the couple agrees to be engaged and exchanges matching wedding bands which they wear on their right hand. Once they are married, they switch the ring to their left hand.

We got engaged in July. Yes, I purposely didn't share on social media for 7 months, oh the horror!

Yeah, so 2013 was a pretty kick ass year for L and I and CB. So many memories happened here that obviously weren't mentioned- these were just the "highlights."

Tchau, 2103. It's been fun.

Feliz Ano Novo, Happy New Year!

-xaar