Day 2 of the Arctic Blast
Since I did not leave the house at all yesterday (I literally do not think I stepped foot outside the door to our house), I figured I should get out today. When I left my house at 7am, Matty (my truck) said it was 0F, the radio said it was -2F with a -18F windchill!
First I went to Wooglins with Mandy for our usual Thursday morning breakfast date...since I only set my alarm twice/week, waking up at 7am to fresh Wooglins muffins isn't so bad! :) This was the AlpenGlow I woke up to...about five minutes earlier when I left my house, the entire mountain was rosie pink, by the time I got to Wooglins it was wearing off a bit.
Then I had to head to the north end of town for my orthodontist appointment...at least 2 more months of braces!
After that I went to visit my chiropractor. I was fortunate enough to upgrade my tractioning from sitting in a chair with my head hanging backwards to this nifty head weight thing. Appearently I am a bit of weenie as Dr. Kurt wanted to start me with 2 lbs but the x rays showed that was too much, so I am down to 1lb...I wonder how much my helmet weighs?

The Arctic Blast Has Arrived!
Not only has our high been reached for the day (18F at 9:00am) but we are under a winter storm warning and already have a good bit of snow...remind me why I didn't stay in CA this week?! My first workout of the season is today and it is going to be incredibly enjoyable on the trainer...too bad we don't have any new NetFlix DVDs right now.

TT Bike Reunion
Since my road bike is at the "shop" (the shop being Mike's basement), I took my TT bike out for a ride...first time since my time trial at Fitchburg the last weekend of June! I forgot how much faster I feel on it...though there was a pretty nice tailwind heading north and south is downhill! :)

(PS: Notice the blue skies and knee warmers...tomorrow is only supposed to be 22F with snow...that means it will be time to break out the trainer!)

Goodbye Sand, Hello Snow!
Well, I am not sure if it is snowing in the Springs right now but it is rumored that an "arctic blast" is headed our way...so I made sure to enjoy my final day in SoCal with a nice "long" (long being a whopping 30 minutes) along the beach. You know, when you are running along the ocean watching surfers, running doesn't seem so bad!

Peter got a "job"
Well that is if you consider being paid to get drunk for a psychological study a job...he is quite excited to earn $10/hour while drinking though. Gotta love college students and research!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Now this is the life, a run along the ocean, hanging out in the pool/hot tub while the turkey is cooking...much better than last year's 6 inches of snow in Ann Arbor! Dinner was delicious as always but I think the highlight of the day (for everybody but me) was when Rudy started to throw-up and as I walked him to the door he lost it and I stepped RIGHT in it!

Home Sweet "Home"
Well, this may be my first Thanksgiving in California but I would have to say I am digging it. I made it safely over on my little puddle jumper (my seat was under the wing, next to the wheel just behind the propeller) early enough to enjoy the afternoon sun poolside...
and head to Las Olas for a late lunch with the family. I was excited to see the boys order margheritas but they chickened out...stage fright in front of the parents? Hum...

Hooray!
Whoo-wee...cavity free and off to Cali! :)

Dentist!

Hooray, I get to go to the dentist tomorrow for a cleaning...my least favorite doctor's appointment. If you had my mouth, you wouldn't like the dentist either!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYS!!!
Peter and Chris (my "little" brothers) turned 21 today...
And after talking to both of them today, it sounds like they officially survived their first LEGAL (as of 12:00am Saturday) nights on the town in Boulder and Bloomington...and apperantly I get to be the DD this week in San Diego when they get to celebrate together, I somehow don't remember volunteering for that job?!

Birthday Dinner at "The Met"
Chris came down for his birthday dinner last night...we planned ahead as his real birthday is on Sunday but it is his 21st...so we had to celebrate a little early if you know what I mean! :)
We went to a new restaurant downtown called "The Metropolitain" or "The Met" for short. It's a pretty sweet restaurant with a NYC feel and tasty food!

Closet Bands Revealed
Last weekend as Chris and I were eating dinner, he let his closet band slip out...I believe the direct quote (after talking about the Faith Hill/Carrie Underwood CMA fiasco) was "Kelly Clarkson is an American Idol and she's AMAZING!" As soon as he said it, I knew his closet band had been revealed...don't worry buddy, that adds to a tally of 3 guys and 2 girls admitting their secret love for her music! :)

ESPN - Top 10 Bobby Knight Sound Bites

Bobby Knight is in trouble again...go figure! This isn't the most recent offense but it characterizes his personality quite well!

Guess What I Bought?!
My very first tire pressure gauge...and I got the digital one because the guy said it was easier to use for a "first timer." So the big question is, what is more accurate my digital external gauge or the built in sensors on my tires? The reason I ask is because there is about a deviation of 3 between the two (my car measuring lower.) Hummm...

Time for a new 'do
The youth group had a big fundraiser yesterday to start earning for their mission trip to Swaziland, Africa next summer. In effort to support the group, a bunch of stylists from Toni and Guy came to cut hair all day long.
I even let Rob cut my hair...he is a youth group leader and stylist...I must admit, my new 'do turned out pretty darn good and I am one picky customer when it comes to my hair!

Warren Miller: Off the Grid
I took Chris to see Warren Miller last night for his birthday. It's a pretty awesome film show of skiing and snowboarding...and that's coming from a girl who has yet to strap on a board or skis during her 3 1/2 years of Colorado! Now that I got my free pass to Copper or Winter Park, I just (emphasize the just) might try it out...though we did see how coordinated I am on my own two feet last week!

Section 16
Where in the world is Mary??? :)
Mary and I went for a hike up Section 16 today since she was off school (Vetrans Day) and I am still in my "I would rather hike than bike" mode...I wouldn't say Section 16 is any less treacherous than Barr Trail, I just choose to walk instead of run to avoid crashing and tearing up my knees anymore. The cool thing is we are only about 2 miles from my house and look at the view! :)

Faith Hill Getting Owned at the CMA's

The Infamous Incline
The Incline (old railway track) is a local favorite for a "good" workout (aka: self torture.) I do it once a year, just to remember why I don't do it more often. According to Renee, it's a mile long trail with 2,000 feet of elevation gain and an average grade of 41%. (This is the view from the bottom.)
Once you get to the top, it is pretty darn gratifying. I made it up in 39 minutes yesterday...that's not too bad considering I only do it once a year. And all of my cross training the past couple of months (hiking, backpacking, football) must have helped because my legs don't hurt too bad today...but then again, my knees are feeling awful so that might be masking any and all other pain I would normally feel.

My Brilliant Idea to Climb the Incline!
I decided last night that I needed a break from the bike, so instead of riding today I made my way to Manitou Springs for my annual trek up the Incline...I will explain what that is tomorrow. Today is an injury report. As I was running down Barr Trail, I got a little cocky (thinking I was perhaps the greatest trail runner in the world) and of course I bit it hard! Since I was only midway down, I kept running...I didn't notice how bad it was until I ran past some lady and she was like "Oh my God, are you okay?!"
That's when I looked down and saw blood streaming down my legs...last year when I fell I had tights on so the gushing blood was kept to a minimum. This year it was a full fledge streaming. After getting home and cleaning them out, I would have to say I did a good job at tearing them up this time around!
It's a good thing that skin regenerates and repairs itself otherwise I would have nothing left on my knees considering how many times I have hit the ground this year. Anyways, it's official, I am better at pedaling circles than running on my own two feet!

Say it isn't so...
I (yup, me Kate) actually made dinner last night for my roommates...well, okay I wouldn't go so far as to say "made"...I prepared dinner last night for the girls. It was a delicious salad I learned about when I was in Dexter this summer staying with Beth's mom.
And this is the picture I found on my camera this morning...Mary is sick right now (that's what happens when you work with 2nd graders) and this is where she disappeared to last night...taking self portraits on my camera while I got dinner ready.

November!!!
Wow...it's already November! That means 23 days until Thanksgiving and ONLY 55 more shopping days until Christmas!