Birthday girl

One of my friends posted on FB:
‘As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to realize that what makes birthdays remarkable isn’t the fact that they commemorate having occupied the corporeal world for one more year. After all, every single day you are exactly one year older than you were 365 days ago. What makes birthdays so great - and It’s taken 30 years to grasp this - is that for one day, every 52 weeks, everyone you”ve ever loved, liked and respected tells you that they feel the same way about you, or at the very least want you to be happy. THAT is some kind of magic. And if the long-lived are to be believed, that specific kind of magic, plus a few extras (sunshine, physical activity, a bit of romance, copious wine) puts life in your years and adds years to your life.”
That totally changed my perspective today. :)
This year my birthday was simple, but I loved the day.  I took the day off work and ate breakfast in bed (homemade granola) while reading facebook birthday wishes.  Took the bus downtown, picked up coffee at my fav Italian place (cafe senso unico),  and ran to the spa for a body scrub, massage and facial.  What a treat!  Bought myself some cute jeans, and was supposed to go to a super fancy dinner, but after spending an hour trying to get home in the rain I just didn't want to be fancy!  Lol... David teased because if he had suggested going to a place that was anything less than fancy I would have been sad, it is my birthday!  But casual is sometimes perfect when it's your own idea.  :)
We ran through rain puddles to a new favorite date night spot, had the best time chatting and eating sushi with our fingers.  Crossed the street for birthday pumpkin gelatto, and home again to calls from loved ones.
Today.  I loved life.  I loved my life.
Today I was so happy, and that was the best way to spend the day.  :)

New job, long to-do list :)

My days are currently a series of lists.  Trying to learn a very big job, managing a department, something bigger, more important than I have ever done.  Previous applicable experience, yes.  But not in a situation that would actually impact someone's life if I fail.  Hotel management is not the same thing.  If your room reservation is lost or incorrect it is a small window of your life that will likely be effected.  Not the case with the current job, now we are talking about all of your retirement years.  I will learn, I can do the job, I care about it enough.
And I don't want to be the person I was while managing hotels, I want to work smarter.  I do not want to be at work all day every day. 
I will allow myself dedication to learning, but I have learned the value of life (outside of work).
Good thing international travel and vacation is encouraged.  Yes, I asked before accepting the offer.  :)
This list, perhaps not as happy as the last that I shared, but it ends well.  :)
review emails
pick up lulu pants
vote
ck for maintenance guy
pull and review third quarter calls
make processes for everything. and link to database
update phone list with data links
as of 11/01:
book exam
laptop?
hw training
train on call programs, pull calls and review fourth quarter
post ad for new rep
12/01:
Cross train
discuss workload shifting
movie tickets and popcorn for gifts
update Garmin so displaying correctly
Make lemon curd
Make 2012 video
2013 - make a weekly 'my everyday life' post for blog, pics and little happy things for 52 weeks
Register for the hot chocolate run (03/03/13) and the lake union 10k
Make marathon training plan, road id, hydration pack, make a shirt with my name and a quote 'do something that scares you'
change hotel reservations, book massage
Anchorage - botanical garden and market -www.anchoragemarkets.com
hike outside of homer
Buy Australia ticket, and australia race?

Zion National Park

Fall? Leaves are falling and I have pulled my coat out of the closet, but I am still having a hard time adjusting to the idea that it is no longer summer here in the PNW.

It is pretty much my own fault though; I just got back from an amazing weekend hiking in the sun at Zion National Park in southern Utah. The sunshine, and lingering scent of sunscreen, is leaving me longing for just a few more weeks of summer. :)

Zion though? It was amazing. I spent much of the trip in awe of the landscape around me, feeling like I had traveled to another country with scenery and hiking terrain dramatically different than the mountains near Seattle. Heather and I trekked up to Angle's Landing, waded through the Narrows, and lived to tell tales of the Subway. Though we had read summaries of each hike, watched YouTube videos, and seen pictures, I don't know that any of the hikes were what we expected. We are in good shape!  She just hiked a mountain in one day, and I just ran a half marathon, but 5 miles really did take 5 hours and 9 miles really did take 9 hours.  Every hike seemed more extreme than I expected… Zion challenged me, taught me to boulder and certainly made me more confident in my balance! :)

Mongolia 12k, Run the Bluff

Yeah.... they really aren't kidding when they say 'run the bluff', it is an intense (up, down, and back up the bluff) course that I can't say I was really prepared for!  And though I finished at the tail end of the pack, I was really happy with my time and pace.  :)
location:Seattle, WA
gender place:129 out of 136
time:1:30:30
pace:12:09