Peace Out

So a lot has changed in my life in the last 2 months! Yep you guessed it, broke up with my boyfriend. Amazing how life changes in an instant. I was living with him and thought I had my life together and figured out. I was very happy, found a job at East West Resorts, loved my boyfriend, did lots of fun stuff this winter and last summer and then boom, just like a canon went off things were forever changed. I hadn't been treated very well in the last few months of our relationship and then when he didn't come home one night I pulled the trigger, moved out that morning. Guess where I moved..... back in with the parents. After a few weeks of devastation, heart ache (my heart really did ache, such a weird sensation), not feeling hungry and sleepless nights I have made a full recovery! Ophhh I hope to never go through that again. I am confused, one moment you are completely happy and in love and the next driving with a packed car with tears running down your face. How do you ever know what everlasting love is? I know it is better now to go through this then to get divorced but seriously how do you know???? This is question I am not sure anyone can answer... Peace Out Satchele!

Mountain Biking

Starting a new sport can be very challenging. No one wants to be bad at something but you have to start somewhere. I began my journey last month learning the sport of mountain biking. The first test began just 5 short weeks ago with a intermediate trail. The single track loop starts off with a fairly steep climb with numerous switchbacks. Being that I have only road biked I found myself with a whole different strand of concentration. I was constantly shifting my weight and focusing on keeping my tires aligned with the tiny dirt strip that lay below. After numerous falls around the tight corners and a few expletives I had made it to the top, a feat that made me smile. In the back of my head I knew that this was only half way over, what goes up must come down. After a sip of water and a quick picture I began my decent. Immediately I found myself clenching the metal levers as fear set in. I remembered the advice I was given, "look ahead and trust the bike." I repeated these words as I eased off the breaks. A few rock piles had me defeated as I hopped of the bike and and walked around them. As I came to the pavement I knew I had made it. I had conquered my first mountain bike ride.

The elliptical is for sissies

This thought has been on my mind for a while now so I thought I would get it out there for everyone to ponder. After training for a Iromman 70.3 by myself I have a whole new outlook on what working out really is. Now I am not going to lie I have been that skinny little girl shaking her butt on the elliptical for a half hour (well let's be honest minus the skinny part). This is NOT working out. When I was training for the race I worked out at least 2 hours a day, running on the treadmill for up to 2 hours at a time. Or doing a intense spin class that leaves you unable to walk. I am not saying this is what you have to do but if you want to get a good work don't use the elliptical. Wonder why you never see fat people running on the treadmill but you see them all lined up on the ellipticals? You can't get away with being lazy on a treadmill, I picture a porker falling off and slamming into the wall behind..... haha not trying to be mean but you get the picture, the elliptical is for sissies!!

Wine

Lately I have been taking a liking to wine. Before I used to drink it because it looked good sipping it out of the fancy glass and I felt "classy", although how classy was it when the only wine I could afford was Franzia, and also one of my Facebook interests was "taking wine to the face".... Hmm that pretty much sums it up. Still with my entry level job salary, my price point ranges from $9.99-12.99. Surprisingly there is a large selection at this price point but of course I usually go for one that is on sale or the one with a cute label. Yes I often fall into the consumer marketing trap. I rarely purchase white, I feel like the cheap whites taste cheap, probably the same in life...hehe.
So my next question is when is drinking wine appropriate. If you ask my dad he would say anytime, lunch, dinner, weekend, weekday, a glass, 2 glasses..... I on the other hand have a few times when I don't feel good about drinking it. By myself, I am slowly getting over this but I think wine is a beverage that should be sipped on in the company of others. The other time is when I am going out to Partay, it is hard to chug Red wine... Back to work, please leave comments:) Next blog post "To pee or not to pee in the shower, that is the question" We had a lengthy debate on this the other night. Until next time..... I will try to write more frequently:)

Plants

First it's being able to keep a plant alive, then maybe you can have a dog, then a house then maybe you are ready for a baby (don't worry I am no where near that).... Somewhere in there insert a man. I am at step one, plant! For Valentines day I got 2 plants from my Dad. I tried hard to keep them alive but both died within the month. They were neglected on weekends and barley tended to on weekdays. I thought I would give it another shot. I recently purchased a basil plant and within a day it went from caprese salad ready to wilted, brown and sad. So I thought to myself maybe it was just the plant. Just one more.... This time a healthy mint plant to make mojitos of course. Purchased on Monday, watered Tuesday, Thursday, forgot Saturday and Sunday, dead Monday!! Clearly not the plant's fault. Moral of the story I should not get a dog, house, baby or man... Maybe the 5th plant is the charm, or should I get a cactus, no need to water....???

Volunteering

I spend an hour a week volunteering at the Samaritan House, a shelter for homeless that helps people get back on thier feet. My position is "clothing room attendant" basically I am a personal shopper for the homeless, the fashionista in me comes out. Really I just chat with people and help them find what they are looking for. Most of the people are in such good sprits too. I love talking with them and hearing thier stories. One lady was an engineer with 2 degrees making oodles of money and was laid off. She clearly made some poor financial decisions to land herself in the shelter but it's tough out there! Another guy yesterday said he went to the doctor to get the battery replaced in his pace maker but they won't replace it for him becuase he is a recovering addict.... hmmm not sure about this one, this touches the health care subject which I really don't want to get into right now. Anyway, I love talking to these people, they always lift my mood! If I am having a bad day, or week it is always refreshing to hear their stories, see thier smiles and know that I got it pretty good.
Cheers,
Lauren

Drive and Flirt

So my commute from work has been the death of me lately. I get in the car happy to leave work and get out of the car trembling with traffic anger! So I have been trying to come up with solutions to make it better. One I have been practicing the past few weeks I like to call the drive and flirt..... I have been going so slowly that I actually have the time to roll past cars and check out the person in the vehicle. So if I roll past someone good looking I try to keep up with them, if that means a few lane changes so be it, you gotta do what you gotta do. Then I will go with the wink the second time around (ok ok so I haven't really gotten to the wink stage) but maybe it will happen one of these days. Or should I make a sign saying "get off the next exit, your cute..." Thoughts??
So I actually came up with a real solution to this traffic jam chaos. I joined a gym next to work so I can go directly after work, avoid rush hour, save some of my sanity and still get a rockin bod. Finally all that college is paying off.
Newly single coming up with ways to meet people can be tricky. I mean I met my last boyfriend at Safeway, random I know (clean up on isle 3 just bumped into eachother). I actually think the grocery store is a great place to meet someone. Throw out the line "what are you cooking for dinner tonight" or "oh wow I see peppers in your basket, you must be a spicy kinda guy" haha nice lines Lauren, I am sure those would work... NOT. I don't believe that this drive and flirt is going to make the cut either... I need something else. Meeting guys at the bar, not so great especially after a few cocktails when everyone looks a little better and they become funnier as the night goes on. I joined 2 soccer teams, no one has caught my eye, mostly an older crowd. Hmmm not sure but I welcome any suggestions and please do not say Match.com.

The small things

An update on the swimming. I took the plunge again yesterday this time I was fully prepared. New one piece, matching swim cap, and goggles. At least the second time I looked the part, still working on the acutally learning how to swim part though, stay tuned.... I am taking a brief moment from working to write on my glorious blog:) Today we are having a little St. Paddy's Day party. I know it makes no sense, the holiday is not until next Wednesday. But of course I had to deck myself out with green, green shirt, headband, necklace and to top it off a green tutu. Let's just say I am the best dressed in the office. This weekend there is a parade and I am partaking in the Running of the Green, a 7k running race (I will be running in my tutu). It's the small things in like that make me happy. Like yesterday at work I was walking to the bathroom and had an urge to do a heel click, yep I did one and it made me smile:) Then today at work with my tutu on I ran down the hall, testing it out before the 7k run, it made me smile. Yes it's the small things..... Do something today that makes you SMILE:)

Swimming

Oh boy I haven't been writing.... It's amazing how others things take priority. I have signed up for a Half Iron Man. I am not sure what I was thinking when I made the decision. I have began to train, starting with a sad 2 miles of running, a little spinning and learning how to swim. I headed to the pool yesterday and must have felt a overwhelming sense of confidence.... I tried out the Masters Swim Class. I should have seen the word MASTERS and cowered in a corner but no! I put on my bikini, threw my hair in a bun, asked the front desk for some goggles and headed to the pool. Needless to say I did not fit in.... haha everyone was wearing there super tight one piece suits, swim caps and special goggles. I hopped right in the pool like a regular and began swimming the crawl. OOOPHHH it was a little harder I than I remembered... last time I swam laps like that was when I was 7 on swim team. I didn't last the whole time but have plans to do this class twice a week. So tomorrow I think I need to do a little shopping, one piece, swim cap and fancy goggles! I should probably attach a picture when I have one... I am laughing as I write thinking about this look, I better get one good looking suit and swim cap!!!

The Roller Coaster Called "LIFE"

I have always been a thrill seeker, this includes riding various amusement park rides including the roller coaster as well as the other thrills in like, skiing fast down a steep slope, scaling a rock face, driving on an icy pass with awful tires, traveling thousands of miles away from home.... I would like to continue to embark on more of these thrilled filled journeys.
So does this mean life throws thrills right back at me? It seems to lately, job searching was a roller coaster in itself. Applying!!! , getting an interview!!!, being rejected:(, hearing nothing back:(, feeling good about the interview!!!, being rejected again:(. Relationships, start of a new relationship!!!! Coasting along:(, new adventures together!!!, realizing it's not working:(, Breaking up:(. Friends and Family, getting along great!!! People getting too involved in your problems:(, Drifting away:(, having great people to rely on!! ............. the list could go on the the point is clear, there are ups and downs with everything and I am learning how best to deal with them. If only everything and everyday could be ice cream and smiles!!
My goal of positivity in 2010 has not started off great I have to admit. As we are already well into February I need to step back and reevaluate. I have recently begun volunteering at the Samaritan House, a place that the homeless come to get help getting back on their feet. I think this will help me realize that there are people way worse off than me. Don't sweat the small stuff, use those shock absorbers to make those bumps in the road as smooth as a baby's bottom. I want to be the person people look to for continual positive energy, so ba boom today is the day to begin!!
Begin something new today:)

Morning workouts and hump day

I would not call myself a morning person. Today I set that alarm clock an hour earlier and braved the outside world before the sun came up. I went to an amazing workout class at the gym I joined. Update from previous blog post, I joined Qi they have a sampling of great classes but their specialty is spin-yoga, this is 30 mins of intense spin and 30 mins of yoga. It is a great workout. I have to say it wasn't as bad as I thought getting up and working out. I am going to try to make this an everyday occurence, or at least a few times a week.
Today is what everyone in the working world calls Hump day. Hmmmm before I really thought about the true meaning the naughty thought came into my head, sorry for being immature. But in light of hump day I have put together a little potluck dinner that will happen every other Wednesday. The idea is to switch hosts and location as well as themes/food. I am starting with Mexican at my place. I thought it would be easy to prepare. I am sure we will get more creative as we go. So happy Hump Day to all:)

A Lauren Update

I haven't written in a while. The holidays have passed and I am on week 3 of the new job, time flies! Quick update, not that anyone reads my blog really but it will be a great resource for when I have Alzheimers and forget what I did yesterday. The holidays were good, I wore the smurf suit quite a bit, for those of you whom are comfused, the blue ski instructing uniform. We still are completely lacking in snow, I am actually getting excited for spring, grilling, Rockies games, pool time, bike riding around the park, but I guess we will have to pray for a little snow since it's only January. I didn't gain holiday weight... I think this was a combination of skiing a lot and avoiding holiday parties.
New Years Resolution: To stay positive, be a more postive person! I got bugged down with too much negativity last year.. So now you ask how is the JOB? So far so good! I am loving the people I work with and that is 99% of it. To stay on track with my New Years Resolution I am not going to complain about the traffic and commute to and from work, enough said. I have started to get into a routine, work, workout, dinner, bed. Goal of the week: to be less lame!
Signing out,
Lauren

Christmas Shopping

As some of you know I am not a big shopper, it's one of my least favorite things to do. Today I had to take the plunge and get all my Christmas shopping done. So my first stop was the dreaded mall. As I entered the large concrete walls I immediately began feeling claustrophobic, hundreds of people, screaming children waiting to see santa, shopping bags hitting me from all angles, Christmas music seeping out of every store...... I had to take some deep breaths, collect myself and set some serious shopping goals! I quickly made a mental list and tackled the mall in a fairly efficient and relatively stress free manner. After stop number one I had to refuel with a large coffee and a little energy boosting snack, shopping really takes it out of me. Then it was off the the next place, I can't disclose I don't want to give away any of my gifts. I like everything to be a surprise..... it's way more fun when you open your gifts if you have no idea. The key to this is never asking what people want but listening to them as the holidays approach and giving them a quick scan to maybe what they need. For example.... complaining about cold feet.... ski socks, trouble finding shoes to match an outfit.... shoes or gift certificate to shoe store.... holes in the pit of their t-shirt.... new shirts...., turning underwear inside out for another day of use.... tighty whiteys, you get the point. You have a few more days to listen to those verbal and non-verbal clues. Happy shopping, thank god I am done!

Welcome to the Real World

Lauren is officially entering the real world, yes that means I got a job. The job title: Online Sales Planner, the company: National CineMedia. I am excited to start receiving those pay checks and end the long hours of job searching and boredom. Let the early waking up, commute and packing of my lunch begin! My office is located right behind Loehmann's at Park Meadows, could be potentially dangerous although now that I have a job I will need to purchase a few new outfits, business attire! I have never been very comfortable in these so called "dress up clothes," which may pose a challenge for shopping. I am hoping they have casual Fridays!! It is an interesting time to start a job as we are on the brink of the Holidays. I had many parties and ski dates planned but it looks like they will be put on hold for the time being until I find out the days we get off. I don't want to ask for vacation time the second week, haha I am not sure that would be a good start. So to all of those who were with me through this journey, thanks for your support. It was an emotional roller coaster that led me to explore places and pieces of myself I had never known. I am an expert interviewee, an expert thank-you note writer, an expert in persistence and an expert in rejection. Let me know if I can help you fine tune any of those skills. Happy Real World to all and to all a good night.

Coffee and Negative Temperatures

This morning was negative 9 degrees and even colder up on the mountain. I was supposed to help out at the world cup races in Beaver Creek but similarly cold temperatures yesterday left me with frost bite on my right foot, ouch. Today I sit in a coffee shop staring outside. It's a bluebird day yet very deceiving..... COLD! Days like this make me question moving to a warmer climate. But where would I move I ask myself? Colorado is an amazing place, over 300 days of sunshine, great snow, not too hot of summers.... Maybe California but it is over populated, traffic chaos, and lots of fake people, sorry if your from California. I might just have to layer up and smile in the face of the cold, hot chocolate and hand warmers to the rescue.
On another note, Happy Friday to all of those employed, and to the unemployed, it's always Friday for us, haha. Have a great weekend, get out and do something different, stray from your norm!

Holiday Weight Gain

All the magazines and tv commercials are talking about how to avoid holiday weight gain. In a few weeks it will be how to loose the holiday pounds. This is a never ending cycle each year. A few days ago my mom asked me if I want to do a 2 hour spin class on Thanksgiving and a cardio plus weights class at 7:15 the following morning. In order to not feel guilty about my food coma from Thanksgiving is this what I need to partake in? This holiday is not about eating for my family it's about making sure the stuff we eat doesn't create a muffin top. I did agree to do both classes and in my mind this means I can eat double the pumpkin pie right? Well actually no, this means I will sustain my current weight. After reading this article: I learned that the average person only gains 1 lb but they won't loose that pound.
So what steps should you take to avoid that dreaded one pound? or better yet don't worry about it we could revisit this topic after New Years and loose that one pound together.
Hmmm tough decision I know...... Well for me I already have about 5 lbs to loose from Halloween candy (I love candy and couldn't resist), unemployment blues drinking and cooking by myself and not having the portions quite down (overeating my yummy creations). Or maybe I am just gearing up for the holidays.... stretching the stomach for Thanksgiving. No really I am going to try to avoid any weight gain, maybe I can be the first person to loose weight over the holidays!!! Eat in moderation, lots of exercise, laughter, water, and moderation of alcohol, and smart drinking (www.justalittlechocolate.com/2009/11/19/liquid-calories-watch-out)
Good luck, stay skinny! I will begin my quest for weight loss during the holidays.....

Grocery Store

I have always been a fan of going to the grocery store, whether it is the fat kid in me that enjoys staring at food or just another activity to curb my ADD I am not sure. Today out of sheer necessity and a little case of boredom, I ventured to the closest market, King Soopers. I am usually a Safeway loyal customer but it is too far away from my current abode. There are those that cut out coupons, have a list of each item and the sporadic shopper. I am usually the latter although I do quite a bit of price comparisons. The key to this is having a shoppers card and looking at the fine print, price per ounce or unit. Sometimes they get you with the big bold price saving sticker but if you look closely another similar product not on sale will be a better deal.

With the trends leaning towards organic and natural foods I have migrated more towards the chemically injected fruits and vegetables, more bang for your buck and lets just say I like to always strive to be unique. But seriously, I bought some fuji apples that were the size of grapefruits, amazing in my mind. Now don't get me wrong, WholeFoods/Whole Paycheck has some great items but how can I afford to shop there? Not in this lifetime plus why do they think they can mark-up items found at other grocery stores, such as hot sauce. I was going to buy some Chaula and it was over $3 for small bottle, about a dollar more than normal. To wrap things up check out the fine print on price labels and go big or go home!

Giving Thanks

As we spend this next Thursday filling up on delectable items such as turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and, if your as lucky as I am, some homemade pumpkin pie courtesy of mama Ann, did you take the time to give thanks? The holiday is indeed about expressing things we are thankful for. In light of the holiday I thought it was fitting to reflect on what I am thankful for. As times are tough it is important to reflect on the good. I am thankful for my brother's successful new marriage, my health, friends, new and old, my family who are so very supportive, my loving boy who keeps me grounded and in check with reality and of course, not to be forgotten the dog in the family, Jack.
If you think the Tryptophan and red wine combination will get the best of you before you have enough time to reflect on what you are thankful for take a moment to do this. Whether it is family, friends, the workout you had today, your career take a second to:
Write 5 things you are thankful for today
Write 20 things you are thankful for this year
Take a look and your list and create goals for tomorrow and next year
If you would like to make self gratitude a part of your daily routine there is even a iPhone application called the Gratitude Journal to help you personally record what you are thankful for each day.

Gearing Up for Ski Season

With the opening of A-Basin today, ski season has officially started! I can't wait to put on those skis, ouch not the boots, and let the wind frolic in my face. The feeling of being free and alive is something you can't get anywhere else. Now that I am not living in Vail, I am officially a "front-ranger." I will have to deal with the weekend traffic, won't be able to role out of bed to go skiing and will fight for parking spots, I will feel the pain of a "front ranger." I will try to ease the pain by carpooling and jamming out to good music but there is no question I will still frequent the mountains. Check out this hilarious video!

http://www.wendmag.com/blog/2009/10/06/irony-of-cross-country-snowboarding/

Boooooo.... ahhhhhhhh

As some of you may know Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have been known to have some of the best costumes since I was a little tike. To name a few...., a bunch of grapes (balloons as grapes), tube of toothpaste, bumble bee, Dorothy, a zipper, milk shake, a light stick man (kinda hard to explain), twister board and some others I am forgetting. I am the kind of person who has to make my costume by throwing together assorted pieces, none of this buying it online bs. I am a hater of the pre-packaged super sexy costumes, if that is you please never talk to me again! now that October has arrived and I am still unemployed so I have plenty of time on my hands, the quest begins.

Not only is the costume portion important but you gotta throw in some Halloween activities. I am talking, of course, pumpkin carving and seed roasting but I have recently been intrigued by these semi-adult haunted houses as well as the corn mazes. I am hoping to go to a haunted house but with a price tag of $20 they better scare the heebeegeebees out of me.