My 1st Thirty Years

Call it a freak out if you must.
I prefer to call it a character building experience.

I decided to list 30 things that I've learned about myself in these 30 years.

Sure, a lot of these haven't been the case since I was born, but many of them started to take root when I was much younger. So without any further rambling, here are 30 things that at the end of the day I know are true about who I am and what I believe and I don't see changing any time soon:

1. Dessert can be (and should) be eaten as a meal (cake for breakfast, ice cream for lunch, cookies and candy corn for dinner...comment if you want additional menu plans).
2. If you poke fun at God, my family, or the SF Giants expect to hear about it.
3. I don't care what form my coffee is in, but it better be strong.
4. It's a great big world out there, and I plan to see, explore, and experience it.
5. I dance like a white girl, but that doesn't stop me from kitchen dance parties while I'm cooking.
6. I'm okay being 30 and having pink be my favorite color. (5 year old Katie had that one figured out a long time ago!)
7. I prefer my cats male and gray, but any cat is better than none.
8. Seeing something that breaks your heart is a good thing...it means your heart isn't numb and  that little something is stirring to figure out how to make a change.
9. Happiness is a choice.
10. Life is better with a touch heaps of peppermint.
11. I still don't care for pasta, even after 2 years in Italy.
12. Christmas music should NOT be reserved for only a few weeks out of the year.
13. No matter how many times the USPS raises postage, I'll still prefer to send a sticker covered, doodles drawn, more words on the outside of the envelope than in the actual letter inside to show I'm thinking about someone.
14. Laughter is my default reaction; it's way better than tears, anger, or words in many cases.
15. My clean laundry sits for no less than 48 hours before it's actually put away...freshly washed and wrinkled.
16. I bite my nails when I'm bored to death at the office or stressed out.
17. I think spell check is the greatest invention EVER...yet I still have typos.
18. I put easy things on my check lists (shower, eat breakfast) just so I can feel productive at the end of the day.
19. The smell of wet dirt/cement after a rain storm is my favorite.
20. Sunsets are amazing, but I prefer watching the stars fade, moon set, and to greet the sun as it rises.
21. Even on my worst days, there are millions out there worse off than I am so I need to suck it up, move on.
22. Sweating grosses me out, but I've moved past it enough to get out of the pool and start running.
23. With each wedding I attend or take part in, something from my once epic wedding weekend gets cut. Before too many more I'll be down to a courthouse wedding...
24. And yes, even after reading Endurance, I want to spend my honeymoon (after said courthouse wedding) on a multi-week National Geographic cruise to Antarctica.
25. I often compete with others...who don't know we're competing.
26. "Nap" in Katie means sleeping 10 minutes to all afternoon, so make sure you know which kind I'm talking about if we're making plans.
27. Despite being half Mexican, I will never be darker than beige. Yes, that is taking into account all my freckles. And yes, I've given up on my freckles uniting to produce a "tan." I'm white. I got it. Aren't you proud of me for finally realizing this one mom?
28. Although I've fought it for years, I'm a Drama Queen. Not so much my drama, but others.
29. My brain never (ever) turns off. The internal dialogue? Thankfully there isn't a speaker broadcasting and I have to take the time to either open my mouth to share or you know, sit infront of the computer and translate the thoughts to words. Sorry.
30. I live an incredible life. To think that at 30 (wow that's strange to type) I've done so many things? It's pretty unreal. I'm not sure how I've been so fortunate to be given these opportunities, but I'm not complaining! Here's to the next 30 and all the adventures, experiences, and self realizations they will hold. 

Jammed Packed 48 Hours

In the past several months I've discovered many things about how I travel.

I travel light.
I travel cheaply.
I'll sacrifice a meal if that means I can fit another site in and a gelato stand is located.
And if I'm traveling- I'm definitely a go getter. I'm going to climb the towers, check out the churches, visit shops, spend time in a museum...well, you get the point.

Turns out my cousin is very similar with her methodology so when I picked Tink up with one of her friends early on a Saturday morning at Port of Bari telling them our itinerary, she didn't even bat an eye.

Maybe that's because she was being too entertained as I talked back to the GPS  to get to our first destination of Alberello as I heard all about their Croatia travels in the week prior. We finally found the part of the town we were looking for, hit up my favorite trullo for some fabulous liquor samples, and explored the church. The trulli neighborhood isn't all that large, so once our arms were full of shopping bags we found a place to grab lunch.

They were healthy.
I wasn't.
They ordered salads.
I ordered fries.
They got a huge bowl of green lettuce.
I got fries.

We then proceeded to cut across to my side of Italy. Our route looked something like this and let Ravi explore a bunch of new roads. I can only say something like that too because whenever I thought I was going the right direction, somehow it turned out being incorrect. Oh well. It's all part of the adventures and the girls got to experience first hand drivers in Southern Italy. We stopped in Positano for a break in driving, a touch of shopping, and gelati. When in doubt, gelato is the correct answer.

After ending up in downtown Naples on a Saturday evening, Ravi kissing the bumper of a car in front of us, and fighting a ton of traffic...we finally made it home to Nico. He was a little wary of the extra two people walking in with me, but a peace offering was given and all was well with the world. From that point on he was a goof and decided he could hang out with us as we enjoyed 4 pizzas prepared for us (by Joe of course) over hearing about the latest neighborhood drama.

A few short hours later, rested, showered, we trekked back out to Ercolano, another community destroyed by Mt. Vesuvio. It was a treat to have someone else telling me about what we were looking at, even if a lot of the Italian was Spanish sounding. Once we explored every nook and cranny within the escacvation site it was time to head back to Naples for the speedy tour around the Old Town.

We may have sat and ate for some time, but so much of the Italian culture is built around the tradition of eating and sharing meals, it seemed appropriate. As far as specific reactions and some of the crazy experiences, well I'm going to let Tink share those with you. Why? Well, at this point I think I'm immune to some of the craziness of Naples so it's more fun to read about a first timer's reaction than mine.

Paris: Running for the 3B's

Bling*Beer*Burger*Bling*Beer*Burger*Bling*Beer*Burger*Bling*Beer*Burger*Bling*Beer*Burger

26.2 miles is a long distance, but nothing compared to 42.1 kilometers.

Okay, maybe it one of those dirty little tricks, but let me tell you- when you hit the 20+ mile mark? You don’t care what it takes. You're thankful for the km markers that appear way more frequently.

Who am I kidding?

Based on the sample size of 2 marathons, even the relief you feel with every passing distance marker, miles 16-21 are just plain miserable. These miles are the ones having you questioning everything. The miles that your body quadruples in weight. The miles that seem impossible to complete step by step.

Just ask Lori. Some of my more memorable exchanges with her in these miles were as follows:

"Go. Leave me. I'm done."
"Who's idea was this?"
"...but I don't wanna."

Best part? We passed other partners having the same "fights" with each other. Our relationship is normal!

Once the legs went numb and we were determined to stop for nothing until the finish line, we formulated our running mantra- The 3 B's: Bling, Beer, Burger. The order is crucial. No bling means we didn't finish the race and although one can consume beer and a burger without running, they taste 100% times better with new race bling hanging around your neck. Fact.

It's fine if you don't believe me. Lori does. She's also the one that at mile marker 23 makes me believe that it's just another 5K and we can do those in our sleep.

That 5K?  It's a blur except for knowing that we weren't stopping- not even for clowns with candy and wine & that at one point I sped up while listening to Proud Mary being sang by band along the road side.

Step by step. Aches increasing. Legs like lead.

WE DID IT.

Not quite in 4 hours like Oprah claims to have done, but all that insane training we did over the past 4 months paid off and resulted in a personal record of 5 hours, 10 minutes, and 37 seconds. Now that's still a ton of running, but about 25 minutes less than it took us to complete Rome last year.

Paris was fabulous. Cold to the point of we though we'd freeze to death on race day, however as we left the hostel race morning we saw blue sky and the sun rising in the sky! Temps never got that warm, but the sun was out and the wind was light- fabulous running weather.

The course? Cobble stones only at the food/water/aide stations which made for a very slippery mess (think discarded orange peels, bananas, and water) but we always walk through those anyways. When I wanted to walk (which yes, happens a lot) there always seemed to be a slight down hill to prolong my motivation. The city was out there to support us: bands, drums, dancers, kids with Oreo cookies, clowns with wine and hands stuck out along the side awaiting a high 5 and so many variations of "Katie" being said it was challenging to lose heart and just stop even when it hurt.

And believe me...it did hurt a few times, but somehow the promise of bling, beer, and a burger with your running partner pushes that all the back of your mind.

Next marathon? Well, don't be talking crazy talk just yet. You know the rule- "One or both of us must be sober when deciding to enter a race."

Pre Race Jitters

My last few trips have been rather nerve racking. Various reasons, however,  mainly last minute planning and running around to get "everything" done before the early departure.

This one is no exception. It's actually worse.

I'm super excited to see Paris. Thrilled to spend time with my "Italian Parents" and my friend who is there. I've even mapped out the majority of our trip since it's a new city and I need to trek all over it. Yes, I realize that's a little crazy considering I'll be running 26.2 miles before too long in/around it.

But that's just it.

I start thinking about running and my heart starts fluttering and pounding in my chest. Worse than it ever did when we did our training.

Coworkers have been inquiring about it all week. They've been offering their encouragement and support. And I love it. I mean, even after 4 months of hearing how I was training for this sucker this is the week I appreciate it the most. But again, every time the "r(unning)" or "m(arathon)" words come up- same result. I feel like my heart is going to leap right out of my chest.

Some nerves are good right? They're what's going to keep me warm in the chilly air before the race starts. They're going to invite my friend adrenaline when we cross the starting line and go insane until my brain kicks in and tells Ms. Speed Racer that it doesn't matter how fast we run miles 1-3 in when there are 26.2 to be ran.

Slow down heart, it's not race day yet. 

Once this last minute push to get the cat to the "spa", my gear packed up, touristy things finalized I'm hoping that the travel and beauty of the city distracts me from my one track mind this week.  Alright. One step in front of the other. I've got this. I mean, I've done it before...

Yep. It's official. I've gone crazy.

Some how, I don't think this is how Stanley imagined we'd be spending out 3 year anniversary together. Seriously. Race day is my 3 year mark post surgery and when Stanley became part of my life (as the new ACL in my right knee).

Let this be your annual reminder to seriously consider being an organ and tissue donor. Donating blood and plasma are easy to give too...when you aren't having surgeries, traveling to Africa, or live in Europe too long.

Okay, I've got a suitcase to pack...next stop Paris!

Welcome Best Month of 2013!

April is back! And yes, it is the best month EVER! I've always thought this, but it was solidified a few years back when I gained the support of others. Okay, so we all have our birthdays this month, but lots of other fabulous things happen in April. Like...

The official return of baseball! Neeks and I are doing our best to stay up tonight to track the men in orange and black take on the evil ones. But a 10pm start time is almost worse than when they start at 4am...the fact that we have to track them online via GameDay doesn't help much. In fact, truth be told, Nico went to bed at the end of the 3rd inning. I'm proud...he almost last longer than his grandma does at a game :) {Oh wait. He was just hiding on the couch. He does like baseball!)

And yes, my birthday does happen this month but way before then, some other things happen...

I get to run the Paris Marathon. Nothing like turning 4 months of training into a 5ish hour race. Thank goodness I'll have my running partner, and friend, there each step of the way. And yes, we're going to have fun in Paris before race day. After the race? We'll have fun but things may just be funny if we're delusional.

Then, my favorite cousin ever rolls into town. Yes. I have no problem saying she's my favorite. I have the letters from the past 20+ years from her to prove that she's not only family, but also a friend. And I have no intentions of losing her in Naples...you can only lose one per year or else it's just poor form. At any rate, we've got a short weekend adventure planned which will be just what I need because the following week?

MY PARENTS ARRIVE!

Well, they arrive to Europe. I've got to go meet them to have yet another adventure before bringing them back to meet their grand-kitty and give them the crash course into Italian living. While I'm doing that, I'll hopefully be distracted enough that the big 3-0 doesn't sink in too much. Seriously. Actually, I'm hoping to have a firework extravaganza, complete with semi American food, and being surrounded by the ones I love because I can't think of a better way to enter my 30s.

Yep. Yep.

Alright. Just a few reasons why April rocks- especially this year. If these "April Showers" ever go away, my sweet-peas and petunias just may make my patio more welcoming and now that it's light past 630 I think it will be wine and sunsets out there again. But for now? I need to get back to tracking the game and figure out how to combat the serious lack of sleep I'll have come morning.

Happy April 1st Everyone!