Thankful Thursday

Whoo boy. I need some thankfulness to think about today. It's been a doozy of a week, and I'm tired and sweating out my stress levels. So let's get on with it, eh?

1. I'm thankful for checklists. They keep me sane and organized, and provide a tiny bit of peace of mind when I feel like I'm in a cart careening out of control.
2. I'm thankful for a night to myself this week. It was a few nights ago, and I did have to do some work, but it was nice to have a night alone to eat whatever I wanted and catch up on Downton Abbey while I worked.
3. I'm thankful for the upcoming weekend! Friend time, checking off more work items in prep for the next 2 weeks of travel, and hopefully even a bit of relaxing in there too.
4. I'm thankful for Nolan. He's just...the best. I run out of original things to say sometimes, but hopefully nobody minds if I re-use my praises for the smartest, funniest, most compassionate and sexy husband out there. I'm so grateful to be able to come home to him after a busy day.
5. I'm thankful for these upcoming business trips. Even though it means more work to catch up on, it's going to be good to reconnect with our entire team in person this coming week, and then super exciting to attend the HCI Workforce Analytics conference the following week! A solid few days of workforce planning and analytics never hurt anyone :)

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

Last week was a whirlwind of activity. My work-week was ridiculously busy, and then on top of that, our spare time was consumed with house-hunting. But we did fit in some fun, relaxing things...like mountain-biking on Saturday, hot tubbing under the stars, plenty of post-dinner games of Dominion, and even learning to bottle-feed one of the calves:

In fact, Nolan leaves for India fairly soon, and we haven't even figured out our real trip itinerary due to lack of time to plan it! Maybe this weekend.

I would post a whole lot more about the house-hunting, Milo's adventures with his new(ish) buddy Hagrid, family fun and all that, but this is my first evening without having plans to go anywhere, and I'm trying to soak it up. That and our internet is down until tomorrow, so I'm mooching our neighbour's and have no idea when the bandwidth will fail me. So. 

1. I'm thankful for a weekend coming up. I don't have any firm plans, and for once that is a good thing.

2. I'm thankful for a good book to read on the BART. Don't get me wrong - Moby Dick was a good classic...but I struggled through it. Seriously. I can only read so many pages and pages of whale anatomy that has nothing to do with the meager amounts of storyline. Sorry, Ishmael.

3. I'm thankful for our realtor and the houses we've been able to look at so far. It's so much fun to start this next phase, and learn more about what we're really wanting and needing in a home. Plus, our realtor is really great and easy to work with.

4. I'm thankful for the chances we have to travel coming up. We put a high priority on seeing the world together and spending time adventuring, and we're very blessed to get to do a decent amount of that.

5. I'm thankful for my little cube in the city. I like working from home, but it's always fun to drive into the city in the mornings and enjoy working in such an interesting, fast-paced environment.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

This has been probably the least depressing January ever. You know how everyone gets the winter blues, post-Christmas, pre-spring...those days that just sort of drag out with no huge thing or good weather to look forward to? That hasn't happened this year. Maybe it's because I live in California and am just SO happy to not be dying of cold like the rest of the country, or maybe it's because we're looking forward to our trip to India and Nepal in March (Feb. for Nolan), or maybe because we're in the middle of the "home-selecting and soon buying" process...but life is good, and I don't feel even the slightest hint of SAD. I don't even care that it's dark when I leave for work and dark when I come home - I've managed to find some sort of sweet spot in life that makes everything great, despite it being January.

It also helps that I decided against a resolution to give up desserts every night.

Next week, Nolan is on one of his assigned vacation blocks, so we're going to head up to the ranch for some R&R (for him - I'll still be working!) and squeezing in the fun process of viewing potential homes with our realtor on the off-work hours. This means I'll be working remotely during the week, and that long of a time-period will be another chance for me to figure out what works and doesn't work for my remote working style, in preparation for me going to that full-time once we move. It's a little scary, a little exciting, and very weird to think about not being surrounded by cube walls and the sound of colleagues typing all the time. On the one hand, I am ridiculously productive when I work at home, and that can't ever be a bad thing, right? On the other hand, I'm going to really miss the constant connecting with my team and colleagues, and I am trying to plan creative ways to maintain the connection when I'm not sitting right there. Fortunately, we're not moving too terribly far away, so I can still come into the office every once in awhile, but it will still be very different.

With all the big plans and change coming up, I certainly have a lot on my plate, but a lot to be truly grateful for. Like:

1. I'm thankful for my awesome job, that I get to really enjoy now, and take with me once we move!
2. I'm thankful for many big steps towards buying our first home...it's coming up fast!
3. I'm thankful for the friends who stick out the many changes and prove that they're not just friends of convenience! Love them!
4. I'm thankful for good food. You laugh, but what better way to enjoy the Bay Area when we have limited time left here, than by taking advantage of the amazing food and restaurants here?
5. I'm thankful for our upcoming trip to India and Nepal! I'm preparing to be amazed!!!

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

I guess it's only appropriate to start off the New Year with a recap of the last weeks of the old, eh? Nolan used his spankin' new GoPro to capture some footage of our holidays in a short clip. Only thing missing is the silly string fight!

Our first annual poetry slam was a win, with everyone but 2 people (*ahem!*) participating. John took home the gold, which in this case was a golf-putting set you can use while on the toilet. Don't ask. Here's my sad attempt at getting everyone in 2 pictures during the poetry slam (no WAY was it happening in just 1 pic). 

One side of the room...

...and the other side of the room.

It was an amazing week of fun, family, good food and general merry-making. We did everything from mountain-biking to eating boatloads (literally, haha) of sushi, to blitzing our families with silly-string, to reciting poetry to running a few miles by the river and CrossFitting (Murph for the win!), to playing games and sipping wine and watching the men almost kill each other first with Indian leg wrestling, then with actual guns and clay pigeons. It was good times.

As usual, the only person who hated his Christmas present was Milo...because I got him a size too small. The only picture I got of him in it was this one where he was rolling around, trying to undo the velcro on his back. Sigh.

One thing I was glad to say goodbye to over the holidays? This version of Nolan's beard. The actual beard wasn't SO bad, but this...this had to go. Immediately.

 Instead of listing out all the incredible things I'm thankful for after an incredible 2013, I'm going to just say thank you to all of you for being a part of my life and helping to make it so incredible. I have high, high hopes for 2014, and exciting plans and dreams. Here's to carrying those out with you all at my side!

Thankful Thursday

Last week, I didn't blog. At all. Not even in my head. I have all these great plans of just blogging every day about random things, and then I get home from work, cook dinner, clean up the house, sometimes do a little more work, prepare for the next day, then go to bed. Seriously - how terrible. I've been trying to get better at making space to relax and do nothing, and it's tough! I tested myself this morning - I left the house for work while the bed was unmade and there were dishes in the sink and a pair of jeans on the floor in the office. You laugh, but that was hard to walk out on; just knowing that there is chaos where I can make order easily.

Kind of like when I try to make myself not adjust my mat during yoga. It's hard to not focus on the crooked mat, but I think it's a good practice in overcoming my OCD type A-ness, right?

Anyway, so I made space last week, and decided not to blog and to relax instead with my dad and brother, who were in town for the night (Nate's home from China, yay!).

So I have this picture from probably a week and a half ago, from a Great Gatsby-themed party that we went to, but what I really wish I could share is the string of photobooth pictures that we took. It convinces me each time I look at it, that we're real winners. 

At least this picture turned out nice! I got me a hottie for a husband.

Speaking of winning, this was taken early in the morning, some day last week. This is how Nolan attempts to make himself think that it's bedtime after a night shift, even though the rest of the world is just waking up. Aviators, wine, robe, and posed selfie on your wife's phone? Check.

I know, the beard is out of control.

What is it about this time of year that makes everything go so slowly, until Christmas Eve, and then next thing you know it's January 2 and you're trekking back to the office? As much as I love my work, I love Christmas more. I can't stand the long wait until the holiday, and how the 2 days themselves just seem to disappear! Boo.

However...I'm still glad it's this time of year still, and that we haven't plunged into frigid, lonely January already. So with that:

1. I'm thankful for my parking spot at BART this morning! On Tuesday, there were no parking spots left...not a single solitary one. Knowing that by the time I either got to another BART station or got into downtown SF to park, neither would have spots open either, I decided to head to the only place that I MIGHT have some luck - our old neighbourhood. I won't relay all the terrible details of trying to park and then commute to and from the Sunset again (oh, the Muni!)...but it was terrible. So - thankful for parking.

2. I'm thankful for my favourite lunch spot! I love having a little treat to look forward to for lunch, and a delicious meal to fill my belly.

3. I'm thankful for the vacation coming up! Long strings of days with family and friends, and time off to just play and spend time with Nolan? I'll take it.

4. I'm thankful for my work. It's a consistently satisfying and (dare I say it) fun part of my weeks. Doesn't hurt that I'm part of a great team too. Except for whoever it was that made me take a very embarrassing and large white elephant gift home on the BART with me. I don't forgive you!

5. I'm thankful for Christmas music. It's my happy place. And it's good for anything! I listen to it while cooking, driving, working, even CrossFitting (bench-pressing to the Muppets' Christmas Carol? Check.). I love it year.round.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday (and a little cheer!)

This week, I made some delicious new (and healthy, if you ignore the glaze on the one below) treats. I made Nolan some doughnuts with my new doughnut pan, and added a little chocolate glaze to his, since it was a special treat. Also! I'm posting a recipe later this week for a delicious dinner idea. Stay tuned!

I was met with an onslaught of texts at lunch on Monday from a bunch of residency applicants that Nolan was interviewing. Apparently he decided he'd leverage his influence on them to brighten my day a little bit! Also: it was hilarious.

And, as usual in our household, Christmas came early! We couldn't wait to exchange gifts, so we opened ours to each other early. Nolan got me a gorgeous necklace that I had been wanting, with my initials on it. See??? Thank you, Nolan!

Highlight of my week so far? This video that my boss put together of us. Dancing on Xeroxes? Yeah, that's what we do every day.

Onto the good stuff!

1. I'm thankful for learning to rest. I was having a hard time physically this week, and learned that I had to force myself to rest and do absolutely nothing for a couple days. I had been doing long yoga sessions and running on rest days, and my body was trying to tell me to slow down. Amazing how a little rest can fix you!

2. I'm thankful for super interesting and engaging learning opportunities at work! Not only do I get to attend a really great conference in February that I'm excited about, but I'm in 2 days of workshops this week that are very insightful and challenging around Human Capital Financial Statements. Woo! And you thought HR was boring. *cue the sniggers*

3. I'm thankful for meeting my goal of being done with Christmas shopping early! So fun to have all the presents purchased and bought

4. I'm thankful for exciting new opportunities to adventure with Nolan coming up! Can't say much right now since nothing has been set in stone, but stay tuned for excitingness!

5. I'm thankful for the holidays, and all the concentrated family + friend time that goes with this season. I'm loving getting to visit with all of our favourite people (yay for bff visiting this weekend!), and I'm so looking forward to some time off to enjoy with family in just 2 short weeks!

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday - Thanksgiving Edition!

This week has been eventful. In mostly good ways. For example, we got to see a lot of old friends and spend time playing vicious games of Dominion with a few new ones. Our new roommate My dad spent another evening with us this week, which we always really enjoy. Oh and I got to experience strangers controlling my brain. No really. I am doing another round of that pain research study I did before, and this time they were sending magnetic pulses through my scalp and telling my thumb to move, among other things. So fascinating. See?

I always have to beg a little to get them to take a picture.

This morning, I woke up and ate a nice, slow breakfast and coffee, then stretched a bit before turning on the tv (seriously, I think we turn that thing on maybe once a year!) to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Because you know, it's Milo's favourite. Every single year he watches that parade - we've had other movies and stuff streaming from the tv screen, and he never watches them...so it truly is something about the parade itself. This year I took the picture of him glued to it when he didn't know I was watching.

By the time I got home from my workout, the cool balloons had already passed, and there were random people jump-roping on the stage. By that point he was only watching with one eye open and half-asleep. I don't blame him. Who cares about jump-ropers.

Throwback time! Let's see how energetic he was about watching the parade the last couple of years:

2012 - Charlie Brown is his favourite! Yes, I know he's just a cat.

...and a series of 4 pictures over 4 hours from 2011 (my favourite series of pictures ever!!!)

This morning I decided to run Pulgas Ridge against my better judgment. See, I know as well as the next person that the 2 biggest "traffic" days for walking and running are Thanksgiving Day, and New Year's Day. The former because people in 'Merca somehow trick themselves into believing that if they go for a very long walk that morning, they "earn" the right to stuff themselves silly with food later. Like I said...'Merca. The latter, of course, because everyone's starting their soon-to-be failed New Year's Resolutions. Do I sound cynical yet? Sorry.

Anyway. So I went to Pulgas Ridge, and the usually empty parking lot was overflowing. So I parked on the little street, strapped on my water belt, and started running. I swear, every person in San Mateo county was on that trail. It was herds. Droves, I tell you. Good news is that none of them braved the whole loop and left out the brutal climb in the middle - so I got to do that alone with nobody to watch me cry blood as I climbed those massive hills out of the canyon. Bad news is that when I finally was on my way back down the last mile, they had the nerve to all make comments as I passed about "must be easy running downhill!". Yeah. Must be. Turds.

We had our Thanksgiving with a few friends around noon this year, and so Nolan got to have his feast after all, though he has to work the next few nights. At least with his work schedule, we've somehow managed to still celebrate Thanksgiving grandly each year. And Milo's still gotten to watch his parade. So we all win. Onto what else is winning?

1. I'm thankful for growth. An area I've been surprised and pleased to see growth in myself in this year has been learning to like people. You laugh, but although I really like spending time with people I care about, I really didn't like strangers or "people", if you know what I mean. Now (with a lot of encouragement and pushing from Nolan), I'm finding myself chatting up strangers and meeting people everywhere and being downright (dare I say it?) agreeable? This was supposed to be a good reflection but now I realize I sound like the grinch. Sigh. Still thankful though.

2. I'm thankful for my undeservedly wonderful husband. How do I even put into words how much he means to me? I see reasons every.single.day why I am so incredibly blessed to have such a good man and such a fun, challenging and loving marriage and friendship to come home to for the rest of my life. Nolan, you are my sun and stars.

3. I'm thankful for our great families. Can't wait to see everyone at Christmas and enjoy good quality family time!

4. I'm thankful for our jobs that we both love and our future career plans! Also, I say this a lot but I'm super grateful for my boss! I love my job, but having a phenomenal person to lead, support and coach you makes such a huge difference.

5. I'm thankful for the holidays and the reminder to love on each other and appreciate the world and people around us, as well as the real reason for the season. So grateful that I get to celebrate that first time God gave us His most amazing gift, so many years ago.

What are you thankful for?