greatest friends

for some reason or another I have been thinking a lot lately about the only time I've loved with all i had and got my heart broken. the famous saying "better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all" floats in and out of my mind. my opinion: in a lifetime, yes. make a habit of it, no.

thankfully this time in my life over two years ago now has been used to shape me into the person i am today. just this afternoon, again pondering this topic, for this first time my amazing friends stuck out more than anything.

after my hysterical reaction to the break-up, my greatest friends were merely an arms length away. the day following a couple friends drove all the way to iowa city from ames to spend a couple hours, either later that night or that weekend my roommates set up a special time for affirmation, spa treatment, and cake & wine (not a recommended combination). it seems crazy to me that i lost my best friend in a matter of minutes but that all along i had several best friends waiting for me.

not only does this bring to my heart a feeling of extreme gratitude but also a desire to be that kind of friend. i want so badly to love wholly and selflessly again instead of protecting myself with a wall between myself and the rest of the world.

i have no idea where to begin but i am willing to try.

to my fellow runners

This past weekend my aunt and I ran the San Francisco half marathon. My only thoughts/feelings when crossing the finish line were of relief that we were done and not just halfway done. I can distinctly remember my first marathon almost 4 years ago now, hitting mile 15 and thinking it was the absolutely most miserable moment in my life. "Someone could not pay me enough to do this again, this is completely horrible." Of course it was only a few weeks later that I was discussing what marathon I wanted to be in the following year!

Here I am again, I've forked over the money and signed the next two months of my life away. Marathon 3 will be here October 17th in Kansas City. Somebody please stop the insanity!

car problems

For my entire driving career (and even before) I've been followed by car problems. Silly things like my mirror getting knocked off, $9000 damage fender bender, my window falling out, smoke coming from the hood, stranded on interstates where I meet one-legged people and their family (now on their Christmas card list), ticket from an aircraft while driving a loaner car, flat tire with a "security" screw that the previous owner forgot to leave me the wrench for, and the list could go on. Did I mention my Jetta Baby has been towed 9 times?! Yes, we've had a rough 5 years together.

Most recently, two entirely new vehicles have gotten the opportunity to experience my mad driving skills...in LA traffic - watch out. There have been many close calls, as there have been with 99% of LA traffic drivers but up until last Tuesday I have been ticket and accident free. Playing tour guide for the week to my sister and cousins upped my driving hours. One fateful morning, on the beginning of our Hollywood tour, it happened.

I brought the car to a screeching hault a little too late "love tapping" the gentlemen in a small truck in front of me. To my luck the right side of the highway is lined with cop cars preparing for road construction. Immediately I am freaked out. My leg is uncontrollable with thumping and contributing to my driving issues, my hand is shaking and my mouth is sputtering words I don't even remember.

The other three girls in the car add their comments and perspectives of the experience. To my great joy, at at this point the highlight of my summer, the man in the truck in front of me starts to drive. I'm waiting for him to float off on the left side of the road but he doesn't. He just keeps going. Through the shaking, I am now holding back tears of joy for this man and his grace.

Of course this has been added to the car incidents chalk-up but the effects have been minimal. Besides, its all part of the LA experience, right?

victim: license plate

million dollars

you know the phrase "I feel like a million dollars"? whoever first said this phrase was a genius. most women feel this way when they achieve something extraordinary, are dressed in their best ready for a date, or receive an unexpected act of chivalry.

me, i am a little easier to please (not that this is necessarily a good thing). earlier this week i shimmied my way into my aunt's wetsuit. this thing was TIGHT. i was hot in the 90 degrees + sun before i put on this thick, tight, black suit on - then the sweat started coming - but i didn't care.

as my sister yanked up on the back zipper and my suit was pulled into place, a wickedly cheesy smile was permanently plastered on my face. my self confidence reached new levels of vanity as i shoved my camera into my sisters hands and told her to "take tons of pictures". i grabbed the boogy board and hit some poses before doing the baywatch run into the once-freezing ocean. over and over again i rode the boogy board out from the waves up to my sisters feet on the shore, constantly smiling for the pictures i was expecting her to take.

this 1.5 hours was easily my favorite of the week. once we were done with the photoshoot my sister and my cousins joined me in the water. we caught waves, nose dived into sand, and drank lots of salt water. it was awesome.

funday wednesdays

one of Sydney and i's recent inventions - Funday Wednesday. on this very special day each week, Sydney gets full control of my toenails and vice verse.


if only these pictures showed the intense concentration and creativity that goes into each and every toe :)

weekend of excitement

Its been a while! Last weekend my brother came to stay for a few days. He flew in on a Thursday night but on our way to the airport the four of us stopped by a circus. My cousin and I actually "won" "free" tickets at the library! Just a couple days before, my uncle had turned down 4 free tickets at work with hopes of avoiding the circus, sorry Randy. The irony of the situation was that when we showed up to go to will call to get our tickets, the line was hundreds of people long! Within about 15 minutes of our probably several hour wait, the circus for tonight was sold out. Sydney was bummed but my uncle worked his magic and we ended up sitting 9th row center without paying a cent.




Needless to say, the circus was awesome.

Adventures with Nate began Friday morning with a sweet hike. We ended up going 8ish miles through the Santa Monica Mountian Range. I absolutely LOVE hiking and it offers ample time to catch up with friends/family :)



yup, thats the ocean in the background :)

Back at the house we freshened up, I applied for a job, and we headed off to the Getty museum. Of course the 16 mile trip couldn't take 15 minutes, it had to take 45 but its all part of the LA experience! The Getty is a really neat aritecherated (this isn't a real word) building but it has no famous pieces of art to offer. Neither Nate or I recognized any artist names.

Of course no trip to LA would be complete without a picture with the Hollywood sign and visiting the Walk of the Stars. Both were a lot of fun. MJ's star was still crowded with people crying and bringing flowers to show their respects. Finally, around 8:30 we headed to the Hollywood Bowl for an Ultimate Mancini concert. I was greatly mistaken thinking I would get to see this Ultimate Mancini, apparently he has passed away. Oops. Honest mistake. The concert was AWESOME!!

Saturday we went on another incredible hike, then headed to the Santa Monica beach to fry up some Nate. It worked! I haven't seen someone so burnt in quite some time. I managed to squeeze in a long run and by the end of the day Nate and I were quite the awkward walking pair - him with his sun burns and me with my run burns. After a dinner and quick stroll through the promenade we headed south to Carlsbad, just north of San Diego. Earlier that day we had booked us a 2-star hotel :)

Early Sunday morning I babysat for some kids while their parents did a triathlon. The kids were awesome and Carlbad is incredible - they serve coffee on Main Street at 6AM - can't beat that! Of course we had to make a dash for the airport just after the triathlon and didn't get a chance to do much sightseeing but it completed the weekend in the perfect way. It was SO nice to hang-out with my brother. He got to see a lot while he was here and I had a blast showing him around!

going home

in 7 hours i will be heading out the door to head back to Iowa. i am absolutely loving california and have only been gone for a couple months, but since the ticket to go home for the 4th has been purchased it has been hard to contain myself. i feel giggly and giddy, its almost ridiculous. last night i couldnt sleep for the life of me...lucky for me i am exhausted from my sleepless night and i dont think it will be a repeating problem.