Motivate Me Monday

Okay so I totally failed this week. This weeks challenge was to try a new class at the gym or new workout video at home. On Friday before I left for Minneapolis, I ran into a friend at the gym who suggested I come to spin class Monday morning. I thought, perfect! I've never done a spin class before and it would be perfect for MMM. Then I had a little problem on the way home from Minnesota and did not get home until late and knew there was no way I'd be dragging myself out of bed for spin class. (I got to Medford and realized that my work laptop was sitting on Drew's kitchen table.) So next week will be a double MMM as I fully intend on still attending the spin class next week and taking on the new weeks challenge. (Successfully this time)

As a cop out, let me offer you this.

Friday I drove straight to Drew's work to meet with one of his co-workers who has ran the Pikes Peak Marathon.  Yes it is exactly what it sounds like. A marathon up and down Pikes Peak in Colorado, one of the Colorado 14ers. ( A mountain 14,000ft or over) I want to do the Pikes Peak Ascent in 2012, which is just a half marathon to the top of Pike's Peak and then someone drives you down. It was inspiring to talk to him about it, as I was terrified I would die on the mountain due to the altitude and not being acclimated. However he told me I"d be fine as long as I train well, the altitude should not be a problem. So excited to start training in January for it. It's going to be a crazy adventure but such a great accomplishment when I'm done. I can't wait :)

(yes I hope to run to the top of this.)

(Aaaanndd I hope it doesn't look like this )

This weeks challenge is to drink 8 glasses of water a day. I am really going to need motivation for this one. I'm so bad at drinking water. Thanks to Ashley, Amanda and Whitney, they're so kind and patient because I'm pretty sure I did the link up wrong....again. I swear girls next week I will get it right!

Motivation Cheers!

Marisa

Where Did My Weekend Go?

That's what I'd like to know. Seriously I had a 3 day weekend and I'm pretty sure I didn't accomplish anything. Other than a long run on Saturday in which I wore pants and it was the worst idea ever as it was humid as heck out. Anyways more about my Colorado trip. So when I first got to Denver we ventured out into the mountains...by car though. It was absolutely crazy. It was sunny and warm in Broomfield, then we drove through rain, and then snow. Yeah thats right I said snow. Also I saw signs that said icy roads. And plenty of these.

Yeah apparently people lose their brakes all the time because the grades are so steep and the roads so curvy that they burn them up going downhill. 

So after the fun of envisioning every semi around us losing control and running us over, we stopped in Dillon where I got out of the car to a temperature of about 35 degrees. Was not prepared for it. Had amazing views though.

After that we drove and drove some more back through the stupid snow, runaway trucks and icy roads back to the land of warm and non snow and stopped outside of Boulder at Boulder Falls where I saw my first real life waterfall. Apparently I don't get out much. F you Zoli. 

I thoroughly enjoyed driving through the mountains everyday. The views never get old. Anyways we ate dinner in Boulder at  a microbrewery where I learned my fate for that night as the delish microbrews and their high alcohol content combined with the altitude would  kick my ass. And they did. However I loved having so many awesome brews on tap. I kinda miss that. Here are some pics for that night.

(My wonderful hosts for the weekend)

  (Yay mini high school reunion...too bad I barely remember asking someone to take this pic)

To go along with the theme of not remembering anything apparently when we got home I got into the biggest argument with Zoli about the move and book Into The Wild. Because I kept demanding to know why there was a grown man on the cover when it's about a little kid. Obviously he had no idea what I was talking about but I kept insisting Into The Wild is about a kid and the giant puppet friends that he has. Finally it clicked...except that I was talking about Where The Wild Things Are. Not Into The Wild. Then I guess I fell asleep/passed out. Still, I woke up like a champion and went hiking in the morning. 

Post hiking Sunday, we decided to stay in as we were both tired and I was being a whiny baby about my sore shoulders from my stupid back pack and watched Leprechaun 5: In The Hood. Don't act like you're not jealous. I discovered that night if you mix vodka with Gatorade you can't taste the vodka. Zoli discovered that while drinking a whole bottle of Jameson is an admiral ambition, it will destroy you in the end. 

This is a little of my amazing last dinner in Colorado. Fish and chips at this place called Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub in Idaho Springs. Oh it was the most glorious thing I've ever had the pleasure of eating. And yes I ate the whole thing...and paid for it. It was well worth it though :)

All in all Colorado rocks and I can't wait to go back. It has inspired to me to take up mountain biking....we'll see how that goes. I haven't ridden a bike in....well I'm pretty sure it's been over a decade. First investment should be a helmet. Haha.

Have a good week everyone! Dam to Dam is this Saturday!

Cheers!


Marisa

I'm Back From Colorado!

Hello everyone! Oh how I've missed you all and this blog! It's been a crazy week, and stressful getting back into the swing of things. (I think I need a vacation from my vacation!) But it's Friday, it's a 3 day weekend and I'm soooo looking forward to relaxing. :) I will write a proper post this weekend with details but for now I'm going to share with you my hike up Bear Peak.

Bear Peak is located near Boulder, CO by the Flatirons. It has an elevation of 8,461ft, the trail is 4 miles one way and the elevation gain is 2,829ft. That may not seem to crazy, but 2400ft of the elevation gain is in the last 1.8 miles. Thats right it basically starts going straight up. I was pretty proud of myself during the hike as we made pretty decent time and I wasn't dying. However once we reached that point it became climb 10ft, stop. Climb another 10ft, stop. And so on and so on. Luckily I wasn't alone as most hikers seemed to be following the same strategy. It was all worth it in the end when we reached the summit and I got to see for miles :)

 The beginning of the trail and the task that lies ahead....Please note that there is a trail to the trail head on which I almost died. I really was worried that I wouldn't make it after that.

 First elevation shot. See those ants..I mean people down there? That was us at one point!

 I started feeling a little defeated after I was told that was where we were headed. It looked soooooooo far away.

Second elevation shot. This lifted my spirits a little as I could finally see all the progress we've made.

 Thennnnnn came the hard part. And by hard part I mean death part. AKA the climb to the top.

 Somehow I made it up this shit. I don't know how either. Obviously I didn't look down the entire time because if I had a lot of crying would have ensued.

 And success!!!!!!! A very tired, triumphant me sitting on a boulder at the summit.

 A view from the top.

I'm on a mountain bitches!!!!!

And there you have it. Obviously we came back down...which was even harder than going up. I took no pictures on the way down as it was super rocky, steap and my only focus was successfully steeping rock to rock without slipping and breaking my neck. We made it down okay save for a killer bee that was after me most of the way down. (Thats right Zoli I said KILLER BEE. And it really was after me.)

Can't wait to catch up with everyone! Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!!!!

Cheers,

Marisa

Thankful Tuesday

Happy Tuesday everyone! Just as I suspected this week is going by slooooowwwww. Which is kinda good because I'm not prepared for Saturday but I still want it to get here ASAP. Anyways here is my list of what I'm thankful for this week:

1.) Vacation

2.) Vacation

3.) Vacation

4.) Vacation

5.) Vacation

 (Hello Boulder! via)

Yeah it's all I can think about. That and the algebra/GMAT hell I've been in the past couple of days. NOT thankful for that.

What are you thankful for this week?

Cheers!

Marisa

Flora & Fauna

So this Sunday I went on one last practice hike before Colorado. Also turns out my digital camera just had crappy batteries and it is indeed NOT broken. So I got to take lots of pictures at Ledges State Park. I spent 3 hours out there and was exhausted afterward but it was a really amazing day and it felt good to get back to nature.

(pretty flowers)

( a view from the sort of top)

(Tested the waterproofness of my hiking boots. They work well.)

(probably more what you think Iowa looks like)

I also saw a few herds of deer.

I was totally racking up the outdoors man points all day. Climbing through mud, traipsing through/across creeks (and apparently a field of poison oak...don't worry I'm magically totally fine) hiking in the rain. So just as I feel like I finally earned my outdoor cred and would arrive in Colorado a true outdoors man (woman?) thennnn......Well there was a HUGE bumble bee after me and I was not paying attention to the ground and then I looked and almost stepped on a snake, screamed and ran away. Adios outdoors man points. I suppose I'll always be a pink dress wearing, pageant loving, fashion obsessed, make up loving girl at heart. But hey I can brave it with the rest of them. So long as bugs spiders and snakes stay away. Like far far away. In case you were curious this is what the snake looked like.

(Yeah Black Mamba. I know I don't know how it got lost in Iowa either..)

Cheers!

Marisa

P.S. okay this reallllly what the snake looked like.

(Common Garter Snake....In my defense it was the biggest one I've ever seen)

WTF?!?!?!

So I'm sorry guys. I totally had a post for yesterday but due to bloggers ridiculous shenannigans, I couldn't post it. And now it's totally irrelevant, because it was about me going to play volleyball. Which I did and let's just say, I'm out of practice ;)

(Okay so it wasn't thaaattt bad)

In other news I leave for Colorado one week from tomorrow! I'm so excited...and not prepared. I've been working on a packing list but I got through my wardrobe and was overwhelemed because it didn't include the wardrobe I'd need for my hike. I'm doomed. Please bear with me as I will most likely be a complete basket case the next couple of weeks. Colorado, maybe a law school graduation back home, Dam to Dam June 4th.....Ughhhhhh I need a beer now after just typing it all. Hope everyone has a great weekend! I look forward to catching up with everyone. I tried yesterday but well....we all know how that went.

Cheers!

Marisa

Got A Jet Pack With Your Name On It

Hey everyone, I'm back. It's been a crazy couple of days as it always is when I decide to take some time off. Needless to say I had to work late tonight and will be going in tomorrow despite having originally taken the whole day off. It's alright I suppose, duty calls and since I rarely have to work late I don't mind when I have to. Moving on to the blog title, I am soooooooooooooo feeling the need to get out of Des Moines. I don't know what it is but I just need to be on the move. Maybe it's just a funk that I'm in as my friend suggested or maybe, dare I say it, I'm ready for a new place to call home. I'm no where near being capable of moving at least not until Poverty Experiment 2011 comes to an end. Then I might actually have the funds to move somewhere.

Where would I move to? Well my top 3 cities are :

1.) Seattle

(Do want to climb that mountain)

2.) Denver

(Do want to climb those mountains too)

3.) Milwaukee

(That sailboat looking thing is the art center. I went there when I was there. )

I haven't actually been to Seattle yet, but oddly enough their weather appeals to me. Denver I fell in love with in the brief time I was out there for work last year and can't wait to actually get to have some fun there in 3 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!. Milwaukee, again fell in love with the city for the brief amount of time I was out there for a wedding last year. It's a midwest city and actually a lot closer to home than where I am right now, so it wouldn't be much of an adventure but I could definitely see myself living there.

I hate to come off sounding like one of those teens who thinks their life will be 100 times better if they move to (insert big city here). My life is great, thats not really my issue. I think it all goes back to my fear of "settling down". There's so much I want to see and experience that moving seems like the natural thing to do. I love my friends and my job, even just thinking about moving breaks my heart, but at the end of the day it's my life to live and I know that some miles won't destroy our friendships.

Who knows, I could just be talking out of my ass right now. Next week I could be all I LOVE DES MOINES I"LL NEVER LEAVE!!!!!!!!! Remember that drawing about the cart before the horse? Yeah I do that a lot. Be thankful you don't have my brain. It works all sorts of backwards. Maybe after my Colorado vacation I'll be refreshed and even miss Des Moines while I'm there. Yeah please read this awesome jumble of nonesense with a grain of salt. Did I mention I've been working a lot? Thanks for reading lovelies! Anyone else relate to this or am I just on crack?

Cheers!

Marisa

*all images via google

Thankful Tuesday

Newness!!!! In keeping with the theme of happiness being the purpose in life, I've decided to start a weekly post of things I'm thankful for. I don't do it often enough. I admit, I am human and prefer when things revolve around me. I need to start being less self centered and more selfless. So here we go, first Thankful Tuesday where I will list 5 things that I'm thankful for this week.

1.) My friends. To the bestie for always being my wingman, putting up with my obsession with the British monarchy and Kate Middleton, and for not judging me when I buy another new cocktail dress. Even when she knows I have 8 others in my closet. To Will for being my friend to the end and for all the countless shennanigans we've had (and will have!).  And to Zoli for hosting me out in Colorado. My first real vacation in yeeaarrssss. I can't tell you how excited I am :)

2.) The ability to purchase good nutritious food. This is something most of us probably take for granted. And I'm not even talking about the starving children around the world. (Which is NO joke btw) I'm talking about the people next door or down the street. With the economy the way it is right now so many people struggle to just put food on the table for their family that they don't have the luxury of worrying about organic, or gluten free or vegan. I am so thankful that I have an awesome job that allows me to keep food in my fridge and my body healthy.

3.) My roommate. She offered me a place to live when I needed one most. I'll always be thankful for that.

4.) My iPod. Silly I know, but music is my world, without it I'm totally lost. I started piano lessons when i was 5, so I haven't really known a world without it. Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Finale moved me to tears the first time I played it when i was about 10 or 11 and still to this day does. I run faster when I hear Shakira singing in Spanish and fall asleep to the sound of a banjo. I'm thankful for so many different genres of music and my parents encouragement of a 5 year old who said she wanted to play piano.

5.) This here blog. Never ever ever thought I could be a blogger, but here I am! With people actually reading the inane ramblings from my semi-put together life. It's nice to have a way to open up and honestly it keeps sane sometimes. So tip of my hat to you for continually stopping by! I appreciate it and love meeting new people. So say hello!

There you have it. My first Thankful Tuesday. Thanks for being part of it!

P.S. Kelly over at The Pretty Bee is having a fabulous giveaway! Stop by and check it out!

Cheers!

Marisa

Boulder, CO

So I've been getting my research on about the city of Boulder Colorado. I've never been, but heard it was pretty cool. Upon my searching I discovered this little shop.

( Tee & Cakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

(Doctor cupcakes? How cute is that?)

Tee and Cakes is a locally owned Boulder bakery, custom cake and wedding cake shop. They also sell scones, donuts, cinnamon rolls, cookies, mini pies, brownies annnnndddd coffee. So basically this place is my heaven and as far as I'm concerned the owners are Jesus. I cannot wait. Seriously I've read their website like a zillion times. ( I linked it above. I suggest you do the same.) Also I may or may not be on the hunt for a pretty "tee" party dress. Just don't tell my friend. He's still not too keen on a tea party. 

Another cool place I found was a vintage store called Goldmine Vintage. 

(via)

(via)

I've never been any good at the vintage/thrifting shopping but this place looks sooooo cool that I'm feeling pretty good about it. I mean I have to find at least one thing right? If not I'll just head back to Tee and Cakes and drown my sorrows in more cupcakes. 

And with that I'll leave you with some parting facts about Boulder. Like, did you know that it's sister city is Lhasa, Tibet? Home to the Dalai Lama? Well it is and has been since 1987 which I think is pretty awesome. Also they have a really sweet theatre called the International Film Series. They are a local arthouse series that showcase a wide range of eclectic films from many different genres. If you know me and movies, you know this is right up my alley. 

I hope everyone learned something today!

Cheers!

Marisa

My Worst Fear

I had a dream last night that prompted me to realize what my worst fear is. My worst fear is everyone settling down and me being left behind. At this point in my life I cannot fathom myself settling down (again). Where weekends are spent doing home improvement things and there is painting involved. Not that I'm looking down on that sort of life at all. I'm just saying it's not for me. I've tried it and well, it did not make me happy like I thought it would. (Disclaimer: my unhappiness has was not in anyway due to the person I was with. He was a wonderful boyfriend.) I just felt like that was the direction I was supposed to take with my life. Graduate, house, be a grown up, do grown up things. I loved D more than anything and I tried, we tried really, but in the end we wanted different things. Obviously considering the direction our lives have taken since breaking up; There are wedding bells in his future and mine includes any plane, train or automobile that goes any and everywhere taking me on my next adventure. However, that does not mean I don't want to find "the one". I do, but my one will be on the same path as me. Wanting the same adventures as me. Honestly I can't wait to find him, but I'm not going to sit around waiting for that day to come obviously. Too much to do and see, too much life to live. I'll run into him eventually. Maybe tomorrow, maybe not till my 30's. Maybe it'll be in Des Moines or at base camp when I'm on my first Everest Expedition. I'm in no rush, I still thoroughly enjoy my own company. After all, I am the coolest person I know :)

Please don't think I'm a weirdo palm reader, psychic, crystal therapy person. I don't really get into dream interpretation. But this one was well, weird enough for me to do a recap when I woke up and it was obvious the theme was unhappiness and  abandonment. It also had some comical moments so I'll share.

I can't remember how it started but the first thing I remember is driving to a mountain in Colorado that we were going to climb. Oddly enough the drive looked exactly like the drive from Des Moines to Ames. Whatever. On the way there we got hit with a massive blizzard and had to turn around. I was completely devastated since I've been working soooo hard for it. So we turn around and head back to....some town I guess where I run into D and apparently we're back together. Which did NOT make me happy in fact quite the opposite. Trapped, defeated, unhappy. (Again NOT because of him by any means. He's just the symbol for my prior unhappiness with the direction my life was going) Then we went into like a German beer hall where I see my Colorado friend with some girl who is apparently his new girlfriend and now I couldn't go stay with him. (I know makes no sense since I was supposed to already be there because we got caught in the blizzard. Don't question my dreams) Anyways this whole dream just left me all sorts of sad, unhappy and abandoned. What was the comical part you ask? The besties twin brother was in it too....wearing lederhosen.

 (via)

Well now you know what my dreams are like. Hope you never end up in them.


Have a happy Friday kiddos!


Prost! (German Cheers),

Marisa

Miscellaneous

When you go to the grocery store for just some random odds and ends do you ever wonder what the cashier is thinking? I do. It's one of my favorite past times. Take today for example. Today I needed some cat food, razors (for shaving) and while in line I thought a diet Mountain Dew sounded tasty. Here's what I would think if I were the cashier: She's buying the Mountain Dew to mix with vodka to numb herself before she slits her wrists but not before feeding her cats one last meal. Because really, cat food and razors? How sad is that? Try it next time you're running errands. It's fun!

Also I've had an epiphany. A fourteener is actually a big mountain. Like you're climbing up into clouds. 14,000ft is the altitude people sky dive from. I've been passing it off as nbd, but really I need to take it seriously as it is dangerous and people do die on those mountains. Also the lack of oxygen. Acute altitude sickness is no joke and even at that height HAPE and HACE are a real possibility. As most who know me know that I when plan something I pllaannnn something. So I will be reading and studying until I know every one of the 54 fourteeners inside and out and all there is to know for a successful summit. 

I am currently obsessed (and I mean obsessed) with The Young Victoria and all things Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. I find their love story so endearing and real, it is now my mission to find my very own Prince Albert. :)

Alright that's all the miscellaneous stuff that I have. I shall leave you with this fact: I RAN 8.4 MILES TONIGHT!!!!!!!!! Thats the farthest I've ever run. Ever. Dam to Dam is going down!

Cheers,

Marisa

8 Weeks

8 more loonnngggg weeks until vacation. Suck. I'm so ready for some new scenery. It's been 2 months since I've gone anywhere and it feels more like 2 years. My life currently revolves around work and working out which is not cool. Not cool at all. I wish I had something more super awesome fun for you to read, but I'm afraid my life is a black hole of lameness. In 8 weeks however I will be:

1.) Eating Late Night Snack at Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop

2.) Hiking up a mountain.

3.) Enjoying a tour of the MillerCoors brewery

4.) Not working

5.) and seeing my long lost 5th grade love. I guess that can make the list. He's pretty cool :)

So as thats about all that I can muster up at this time. Please enjoy this picture of my cats as a cop out.

Their faces accurately describe my current attitude. 

Cheers,

Marisa

Longs Peak

So my vacation/adventure in May involves hiking a mountain. Longs Peak to be exact, at least that is the plan for now. I've never hiked a mountain, before. Actually I've never been in the mountains before. The highest elevation I've ever been at is the elevation of Broomfield, CO plus 10 floors up in my room at the Omni (which by the way I loooooovvveee. I fully intend on eating brunch there. ) So needless to say I"m excited/scared and more importantly I'm exhausted. Because apparently you can't just be like, I'm going to climb a 14,259ft mountain today! (The summit of Longs Peak) It's hard work, it can be dangerous, and you have to be prepared. So my preparations started last weekend with the purchase of my pack and boots and hiking at Ledges State Park in Madrid Iowa. It may come as a surprise to you, but I'm no outdoorsman....outdoorswoman. I have a North Face jacket and I thought that gave me some outdoors cred. Turns out The North Face is the brand preferred by people who don't spend a lot of time outdoors. Sads for me. So I tried to branch out, ask the advice of real outdoor people on packs and boots to see if I could at least look legit while stumbling up a mountain and wishing for sea level grade oxygen. Turns out, I'm just a yuppy at heart.

(The North Face Jester Daypack )

To my defense, I tried various other packs, but I kept coming back to this one as it was most comfortable and met my requirements and I didn't get it in pink. I'm trying to look like a serious mountain hiker here. As far as boots go, I tried many different ones too, at a local outdoorsy place, Sports Authority, Scheels and finally ended up at Bass Pro Shops where I met a nice guy who broke my heart when he informed me the Columbia boots I had my heart set on were not sturdy enough for Colorado mountain hiking. I can't hate him though, as he ran back and forth many times getting a zillion different pairs of boots for me and finally helped me pick them.  

(sorry, crappy BlackBerry pic taken at the store.)

I finally settled on these Mountrek boots as they were super comfortable and again met the requirements. Apparently. I wanted the pretty Columbia ones :( I also picked up a pair of SmartWool hiking socks. I am in love.

So I've got the gear, now I've just been working my ass off to get in shape for this little expedition. I don't do things half assed and I reallllly want to get to the summit. Although I am fully aware that 1. weather will be a determining factor 2. I have absolutely zero high altitude experience and oh yeah have never actually been on a mountain before. and 3. The scramble to the summit is one of the most difficult of the Colorado fourteeners. Wikipedia told me so. So don't worry Mike I will accept the limitations as they come but that doesn't mean I'm going to set the bar low.

So stay tuned as I continue to prepare for my trip. Only 9 weeks left!

Mountain Man Cheers!

Marisa