Balance is coming

So I am back on the horse, or on the shoes, or the track??? I am running again, sooo balance is returning, hormonally (which is probably linked to the rest being in balance) I am happier when calm and when I am having time off, happier and calmer at work, more relaxed, happier with my body (even after just one run, which I realize not much is really different after just a few minutes running). Happier...

Not that I wasn't happy, I am happier then I have been just being in Portland. Just being in a relationship. Working at a job that needs me there. But I am balanced and happy, even better....

New kicks arrived this weekend and I have taken them for a few spins, got to wear in a bit more as a hot spot showed up today, but other then that, they are pretty bad ass if I can say so myself.

I still am getting use to the dark color. I am use to trail shoes being dark, and road shoes being light colored, but I have worn every other color version of this shoes (previously the 769, now the 760) and figured I would give it a whirl in the black/silver/breast cancer awareness pink version. I like the new tread and heal support development, but thankfully other then the small alterations,new balance continues to have this shoe around that I have worn for years now... consistent, supportive and solid, and since they tend to make small improvements to them fairly often (even if its just color) I can always seem to find the last model for around $50 online somewhere... sweet stuff. 

Other then that,  wish I would have taken pictures of dinner the other night, we made salmon on the Treager (?, its a specific kind of grill) with a salad littered with cranberries, almonds, apple, cheese and goddess dressing... so delicious! and totally worth waiting for after work (finally eating around mid-night) 

Unfortunately I am now ff to chase bank to deal with an apparent fraudulent check "I" have written, which in fact, I have never had an account with Chase, so this should be interesting... they should thank me for running before I went into "discuss" this with them. 

Mid January, starting to run again

So it has begun. Time for the 'running season' to begin. Kristen and I have picked out a 1/2 marathon to run at the beginning of April, so the running is on. new shoes should arrive tomorrow, and we ran a 4 mile "kick off" run yesterday. With fancy bluetooth (courtesy of Ms. Calderwood herself via christmas) we did a test run of running "together" via blue tooth, Portland to Bend. And it worked, great news for us, and more chat time and more stable emotions when running becomes a routine thing again.

Work is going well, more training done, and it seems to have calmed downed a bit on the unit as well, great news all around.

Boy is great. He is very excited to go down to CA for my sisters wedding, we have figured out lodging, rental car, plane tickets, and an idea of the sight seeing he wants to do while we are down there, its sorta a real vacation type thing/trip with a boyfriend... and its looking great from here, should be a fun trip.... just about 2 months to go now, and lets hope the warm weather they have been having this past week or two continues while we are down there, would love to warm up there!

The weather in Portland, well, its freezing some nights, having never really lived in a place where it freezes enough to incase your car in a layer of ice, it is introducing a whole new element to the mix... handling it, but its still a shocker to have to think about bringing a cup of water with you when you leave work, to unfreeze your door handle...

I am ready for sunny warm portland summers, living in arcata sorta eliminated summer the past two years, sooo I am over due for a nice warmer summer when I can bring out the shorts : )
Other then that, life is continuing to move along, I still plan on getting involved with public health or planning once I finish the training for this job, which I am hoping to have wrapped up around the wedding/1/2 marathon time/beginning of April... so I should be able to have a  more normal schedule to work with to get involved.

Hope you all have a great weekend. I am off to enjoy mine wondering around Portland some.

2011!

Wow! So Sorry for the almost 2 month absence... but I have had soo much happen that I didn't have a moment to have a Heather day... until now.

Since last, Thanksgiving occurred, yummy food, a wonderful guy to hang out and enjoy the day of food and board games with. Black friday happened, and although I did not go out shopping, I ended up with a boyfriend instead, which I will conclude as a wonderfully successful Black friday. Kristopher and I became official black friday, which is kinda funny, but easy to remember. Truly we probably could consider ourselves dating from the day after we met, since we texted non-stop the month before I moved up here (We are talking enough that both of us had to up our texting plans for that month, then we dropped them back down once I got up here and we were in the same City and State).

I got the job and started at the beginning of December, it is an interesting job, one that I still don't know how I feel about the whole workings of the system. Its an interesting thing, a residential treatment center. The kids are normal kids 90-95% of the time. Working full time there for 10 hours a day, which is great, and the benefits will start soon enough.

My first weekend after starting the job I found a place to live, the one I talked about downtown, that is with a friend of a friend, so moving and unpacking started then. It has been a process ever since, but is almost completely done (1/2 of 1 box left to find places for things).

The next weekend I had I flew home for Christmas, only for my 3 1/2 day weekend, but being there with my mom and sisters and bother in law to be was nice, mom hosted dinner with 17 people there. It was an odd Christmas, with my dad overseas and all, but it was nice to be there, and get warm for a few days, brought back some lemons to Portland, and soaked up a little sun as well.

Got back and had another full week of work, and then drove down to Corvallis for training for work, was able to grab dinner with some fellow Cal Poly CRP alum that are doing their grad. work at OSU. Experienced my first morning of waking up to my car doors frozen shut and driving with ice everywhere... slipped and fell out of the car (still sporting the nasty bruise from that).

Also got to meet the boyfriends parents, they came out for Christmas and where still here, so that was nice and always interesting to see how people are like their parents.

For new years, the boy, his best friend and his girlfriend (my friend Jade that got me the job up here) all went up to Mt. Hood to ski and camp for the new year. Got my first rides of the year done, on my first experience Night Ski-ing as well. It was really windy and got icy pretty quick, so it was fast and I only did a few runs before hitting the lodge and hanging out with Jade, then when the boys were content we headed back to the trailer, played some poker (which I dominated :) ) and watched the fire works go off at 12. It was a great evening and a great way to end a hectic month, and a crazy busy changing year.

2010 was a trip... 2 1/2 marathons, 1 full marathon, a new City, a wonderful new boyfriend unexpectedly, a new job, some great new friends, and it ended with a happier heather then when we started. Couldn't really ask for too much more could we.

I will try and stay on top of this blog, although since work involves avoiding getting killed by children, my outfits might be a bit fewer and farther between, but as soon as I find my camera cord, (still MIA) I will take pictures of the new place, and get some pictures of life posted.

In the works for 2011 as resolutions/goals:

-Be happy

-Work on expressing myself and not shutting down instead

-Find my opinions and beliefs more solidly and independently

-Learn to Ski

-Apply to grad school (need to get on how this all works asap)

-Run more races in new places

Oh, and I almost forgot to add, The boy and I booked tickets to fly back for my sisters wedding in March! I am excited, and the boy has never been to California (crazy but true) so that should be a fun filled week showing him around and having him meet the fam. (he is excited too meet my dad, and I think it will go well, another amazing element, since I think most boys would be scared and intimidated).

More details later on life, but I am back, and doing well, and in a great place in life (and I am in love with the night skyline of Portland, the day skyline as well, but its just beautiful, can't wait to discover the other seasons)

Its snowing!

And I'm freezing. Can we say someone did not pack appropriately??? Yes... I think that is a fair statement. Although I think there is an end in sight. Officially an interview for the new job is on Monday, although I am a little intimidated I know that they want to hire me, its 2 hours! with an observation period as well... luckily I have someone with insight that can help me be prepared, if she has any words of advice.

Housing is still in the works, I almost signed on for an apartment but was having that small gut feeling that it wasn't just right. So the search goes on, I might check on a friend of a friends place, its right down town and would be nice to not be a complete stranger as a roommate too... I will keep you posted.

Still a bit stunned that I am really here, but enjoying every moment of it, I am in Portland and staying here : )

I'm here

I'm here, I made it on Friday. 7 1/2 hour drive, with some traffic in one spot, but no snow through all the passes.. which is great news, and amazing, considering the storm that is going through the entire west coast right now!

I took some pictures yesterday as I drove around (getting incredibly lost, let me tell you) and just went to find the cord to connect it to my computer... its not in the cord box... i know it is somewhere, it did get packed, but it is not in the cord box : ( so the pictures will have to wait...

It is beautiful though, fall colors still holding onto the trees, but there are calls for snow tonight and tomorrow.  I am not yet convinced I am staying here, but I mean, I am... I am now from Portland...  : ) I like the sound of that.

Sorry about my absences, and for lack of pictures, once I get a place to live (on the agenda for the week) and unpacked, I will get back to normal posts, and outfits (on that note, I am going to freeze for the next few months I think.. bring on the gloves and scarves!)

24 hours to lift off

The packing commenced last night, and I promise to update this post later this evening once I grab some pictures from Kimber, we had a goofy fun evening that was successful in packing up all of my stuff (there was more then I thought) and avoiding tears.. for the time being.

Many humorous events occurred around some sweet aviators, my yellow snowboarding helmet (that is most likely getting a paint job soon) knock off bump-its (provided at some point to myself by my mother, but really knock offs...seriously though) and some other whacky get ups that ensued with the packing process.

Last full day at work, morning breakfast with Plan It Green BOD crew this morning, that makes it bitter sweet, I am truly going to miss those "kids" (aka - big grown up successful enthusiastic movers and shakers of Humboldt green building).

 And a pretty big storm is coming through this weekend... ironic, or subtly appropriate?? (It also should be dumping about 6" of snow across the mountains in Oregon :)))))) The rain was pouring this morning, and as I woke up I realized I have packed my rain boots way under everything else...

Flip flops it is... such a so cal girl to my bones no matter how I fight it, its there, hoping over puddles in the rain that requires the second notch of windshield whipper action, Yup, that would be me...

Tomorrow will involving breakfast with the work crew, then closing out my hours for this week, turning in the keys, and going home, packing all the packed stuff in my Escape, strapping the bike to the back, skis and snowboard on top of Karen's car, and hitting the road... I should make a few mixed CD's tonight for the road, since I don't have a Ipod Radio adapter.... hmmm

Oregon bound by this time tomorrow, ekk!

Weekend wrap up

Breathing, it would be a very good thing... I was reminded this weekend, and continue to try and remind myself too.

I realized I am more stressed about this move then I think I am, when I totally forgot I put someone on hold, and didn't realize it til I texted them later saying I missed the exit off the freeway to my house (there are 3 exits in the whole town). She kindly, I am sure laughing, replied " and you never came back either :)" I think she got a kick out of it, because it was so not a Heather thing to do.

I haven't taken outfit pictures, because, well I have been stressing and trying to figure out what I need to do first, second, and third. I went to actually take some this morning, and my roommate had moved some plants around, and the plant stand I use as a tripod wasn't in the hallway anymore.. and I simply didn't have the time to figure out another solution for the moment.

In other news, I am still excited, potentially have a room worked out (going to meet up when I get in town next weekend) and am looking forward to so many things.

It is a mix between stressed and overwhelmed with excitement. Crazy what that can do to you..

I keep forgetting meals.. Heather, the girl that pretty much eats non-stop... forgot to eat any meal at all on Thursday... how does one really do that?!?!

I did accomplish ordering Christmas presents for my sisters though. I stumbled across Beyond the Rack and its super exciting, they switch out the deals every couple days, and its always a variety of things, shoes, clothes, jewelry, trips, kitchen stuff, etc. I got a $10 credit just for signing up too! Check it out, some of it is still out of my price range but there are some good things to be had as well.

I also received back an email from the Tri-Delta Alumnae Chapter in Portland, sooo excited!!! More people to connect with, and a major reason that Tri-Delta continues to be a part of its members lives, and its always good to have some girlfriends to grab a drink with, and get to know, and get tips from about the City. Very excited....

So I have accomplished some, just not the cleaning out the car, trying to get the rest of my online classes squared away before I move (I think I am just going to be doing them up there too, its fine, they are online for a reason), and oh yeah, Pack?!?!?

I hope you have a wonderful week, and really, I am doing ok, I just need to remember to eat when normal people do and I think I will be fine.