Oktoberfest and 8 Glorious Miles

After a long hiatus, we've returned. Yes, faithful readers, the long awaited return of our running stories, race reviews, and weekend jaunts has finally come. As I was reading our entries from years prior last night, I realized just how many great memories we have already. It's so easy to forget. That's why we decided to returne. We still have so much more to experience and we've only just begun our journey. 

 

So here's the latest and greatest.  We got married in June, followed by a wedding reception in May, followed by a new home, alongside a new job, and did I mention we're training for our 7th half marathon together? With Eddie's encouragement, he signed us up for our running group once again and I have to admit waking up at 6am on the weekends aren't as tough as they use to be. The 8mi run last week was tough for Eddie, but OK for me. In fact, I'm actually looking forward to our 9mi run this Saturday. Eddie has been extremely upbeat this training season. Hard to believe that just a few years I never thought he'd ever say yes to my crazy idea of doing a half marathon. Now he's waking me up on Saturday!

 

The past few months have been a blur of handymen, furniture delivery people, and stuff and more stuff. So I'm happy to report, that life is finally beginning to gain some semblance of what we had before. For Eddie, this means regular home cooked meals, which makes him happy.

  

 

Oktoberfest - We had  "free" bratwurst, potato salad, pretzels, strudel and beer, finally putting our HOA fees to good use.

 

One of the  best pho places ever and we found it in Palm Springs.



A San Elijo Hills Sunset. Gorgeous!

Married in Kauai

Where we got married at Poipu Beach at this very spot, which is very bit as magical as it looks.

It was a significant milestone to have survived our respective bachelorette and bachelor happy hours (x2 for me). I can honestly say that I've consumed more alcohol in the last month than I have in my entire 30s so were delighted to finally be off to Kauai to get married. At long last, after months of planning and anticipation, we were so glad to discover that we 100% made the right choice to celebrate our marriage and honeymoon on this island.

Here are some highlights from our trip - where we visited and where we ate:
Day 1 - R&R/Lavas @ the Sheraton - Best Wings/Puka Dog
Day 2 - Get marriage certificate at a very official government office - The Wine Shop and get a cabana on the beach/Koloa Fish Market - Best Mac Salad and Laulau
Day 3 - Kauai Movie Tour/Tahiti Nui Bar - Best Mai-Tais
Day 4 - Get married!/Tidepools @ the Hyatt
Day 5 - Kilohana Plantation and Train Tour/Mark's Place - Best Teriyaki Chicken
Day 6 - Kauai Coffee Plantation Tour
Day 7 - Good bye for now Kauai!

Can you believe you get your marriage license at The Wine Shop?

 

The Puka Dog, a hot dog inserted in a cylindrical bun with delicious sauces. We choose the spicy chili sauce with mustard and coconut relish. We would definitely eat this again!

Wailua Falls - the backdrop of many famous movies and shows, like Fantasy Island.

The Coco Palms Hotel, made popular by the movie Blue Hawaii, is being renovated. It will be great to see it when it's done.

Waimea River - the photo does not do it justice.

Our fabulously entertaining tour guide, Mickey, from Alabama. He was hilarious.

George Clooney filmed The Descendants here - also where we ate lunch and enjoyed a mai-tai.

I made a friend at the Kilohana Plantation.



We were given bread to feed the goats. I admit I was a little nervous at first, but they are so friendly!

These wild pigs were hungry and angry, squealing at baby pigs to get away from their food.

A baby pig - so cute!

 

Just got my make-up done for the big day and wearing my just married shirt already.

 

Our big day.

Eddie's first luau (not to be mistaken for lua which means the restroom in Hawaiian).

Eddie asked me to dance to a song by Elvis at the Luau.

Opening act - hula dancers.

Chickens are everywhere on the island. It was a very strange sight to see when we first arrived.

On our coffee tour and it's very hot - we couldn't wait to get back to air conditioning.

After missing the malasadas (Portuguese donuts) from two previously failed attempts, we finally made it. When the sign says back at 2pm, it really means back whenever. This plays open "around 10a" which can mean 11a.

These malasadas reminded Eddie of dessert at Michael Mina's restaurant in Atlantic City, but these were 3 for $1.50. Amazing!

 

Dad's 64th B-Day and a Coyote

Eddie and I celebrated my Dad's 64th birthday in San Francisco with an 8 course seafood feast followed by a decadent chocolate cake. He looks pretty happy here, and I know it's because we were all together. Of course, as is customary with any SF trip, however, it's possible even Eddie hit his threshold for Chinese food. Since my brother has season Warrior tickets, he and Eddie got to see a game.

My mom and I enjoyed a nice run/walk together that morning at a Lands End, one my favorite routes with picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Our run was cut short by an encounter with a coyote that crossed our path. Posted signs suggested we throw rocks or clap loudly, but we opted to turn around and hope it wasn't chasing after us. We survived unscathed.

To make up for the shortened run, I decided I to run to the Golden Gate Bridge the next day, a hilly 7 mil trek. It was one of those perfect mornings quiet, cool, and slightly misty. As soon as I got to the bridge, the rain began pouring down hard and I still had 4 miles to go before getting home. I don't mind rain, but I wasn't wearing a windbreaker and the water began to make my eyes sting. My mom and Eddie were waiting for me when I got back, I was completely drenched. I felt like I was 10yrs old again when my mom ordered me to take a shower before I caught a cold. Some things never change.

Of course, we also did some wedding stuff. My mom had set up the cake tasting and we selected a very unique wedding cake and flavor - that will have to be surprise. Eddie, my Dad, and I went to select floral arrangements. As bride, I never knew how many decisions need to be made. Now that decisions have been made, I feel like I can finally look forward to the celebration.


Dad's Chocolate Cake

 



Coyote - not the actual coyote, but it looked like this only bigger.

From A House Mouse to a House

Marvin's arrival and departure might have been a sign that maybe it was time to move. While I am always looking at homes online to keep a pulse on the market, I never considered anything too seriously. That all changed when I saw our future home. It was love at first sight for both of us. We choose the flooring, tile, and carpets in record time, because we agreed on everything. What can I say? We have great taste! I love being by the beach, but I'm very much looking forward to hiking and running the 18 miles of trails around the area. This weekend we went on an adventure to find a new restaurant closer to our new place. What was supposed to take 15 minutes ended up taking an hour, but the journey was fun. We went on a hike afterwards and enjoyed some laughs and great views. We were glad to have pizza delivered tonight after all the activity today. Another great weekend with my fiancé and the best part is we still have Sunday.

We said yes to the house!

 

We personally selected our flooring, carpet, and tile. Love the dark wood.

My rugged man on hike with a full beard.

 

House Mouse and 1020

Eddie was awoken at 11:45p by an unexpected visitor, a house mouse we would eventually name Marvin. A curious mouse, he snuck in through the spare bathroom and ran onto Eddie's flip flop, before scurrying back into the bathroom only to peer his tiny head from the doorway once again. All this happened unbeknownst to me who was sound asleep. A few hours later and numerous articles on the internet, Eddie had become an overnight expert on house mice, lining the bottom of the bathroom door with a towel to trap him temporarily. Apparently, Marvin works pretty hard, because by the next day, he had managed to leave wood shavings from an attempt to break into the kitchen. He'd been working all night. Thankfully, Eddie has a heart for animals and so we found a humane trap, filled it with peanut butter (a house mouse favorite) and the next day, Eddie released the mouse out on a grassy field 200 ft away from the house. Marvin was free at last.

Besides a visit from our furry friend, we finished the inaugural 1020 Race today in Del Mar today. Yes, we still run, despite the absence of blog posts lately. It was a cool, misty morning that became a gorgeous sunny afternoon. As Eddie and I discussed our run today over a meal we could not agree to call breakfast or lunch, we felt grateful that it was a 10 mi race today and not a half marathon, we both agreed it was a well run race and felt fortunate to live in such a fantastic spot for running, and we were proud of our achievement but recognized the need to be more disciplined about our training.

Pros
Well-organized
Timely start
Efficient parking
Fantastic medal - the largest medal we've earned to date
Quality tech shirt
Plentiful bands on the course (unlike the Rock n Roll races which seem to spread out)
Unlimited portions of goodies post race (tangerines, bananas, peanut butter crackers, fruit chews, water)
Clean bathrooms - what treat to use real bathrooms at the Del Mar fairgrounds
Flat course except for a few hills

Cons
Loop course (this is only my comment - Eddie likes loop courses but I find these boring)
1-2 more water stations (one water station had no cups)
Lack of music at the start of the race
Expo was a snoozer with only 8 vendors, but I think that will change in the coming years
 

Where's Waldo? Can you find us in this photo?

At the finish line

Eddie's 40th Birthday - Special Guests Elvis and Jerry Rice

We had an incredible kick-off to Eddie's 40th. First, we somehow managed to choreograph a successful surprise party. Thankfully, I had a lot of great helpers that kept our plan mum. He was shocked! Elvis paid a visit to the party and very appropriately sang, "Viva Las Vegas" since we were leaving that day at 12:30p for our flight. 40ish friends and work colleagues shared in the celebration. It was a blast for everyone. For the birthday boy, he was sincerely surprised and so touched that all the managers had chipped in for the Elvis surprise. We ate a little at our potluck, but then we had to leave to head to Vegas! I had planned the trip as a surprise gift, but he already knew. However, he didn't know I hired a sleek sedan to pick us up at the airport - total surprise. We weren't disappointed once we arrived either. We won $400 in the first few minutes on a slot machine. Better yet, the next day after my run, I decided to take a walk. I saw a sign that Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver of all time, was signing autographs in 15 minutes at a store in the hotel. What?! I walked there, and sure enough, there he was! Thankfully, Eddie had woken up in his nap and headed down to meet him together. We had a wonderful trip and it's not even Eddie' real b-day yet.

Eddie walks in and SURPRISE!

Elvis singing "Viva Las Vegas" and Eddie sitting center front.

Elvis working the room.

Eddie sang "Hound Dog" and pictured here strutting some moves.

Now Eddie's really in the groove.

I was giddy when presenting Eddie his b-day cake.

Our guests cheering Eddie on!

Eddie's 40th - a totally unforgettable event!

Elvis and us.

Jerry Rice and us.

Simba - The Lost Dog

On Saturday mornings, I meet with my awesome running coach for longer runs. This weekend, we met up at Rancho Santa Fe, a quiet slightly inland community lined with trees, rolling hills, and soft dirt terrain. We finished our 9 mi run when a dog with a collar stopped to stare at us. Initially, I thought perhaps it's owner was around the corner, but when the dog stopped by again, it was clear that she was lost. I called to her, and she came to immediately. She had a collar, but no tag. As soon as I opened the car door, she jumped right into the passenger seat. Dogs can get fearful if they're in a small space, so as I reached for my GPS, she barked at me. My running coach and I tried to get her to the back with no success. Fortunately, a nice man walked by with a rottweiler who graciously assisted us with coaxing her to the back where I could safely enter my car and drive her to the Human Society. I met up with what looked like a Pet Police Officer who knew the dog since this was the second time she was lost. Simba also had a chip so they could identify her and the owner. I hope her owner takes better care of her this time. I didn't' eat until 2 hours after the ordeal and had to detail my car and return the leash borrowed by the man with the rottweiler. Boy what a day. In between, I made a pot roast in the slow cooker, which turned out fantastic.

Simba, 11yrs old