An Update & Prelim Bucket Listing...

Good news to share with the update which is surprising considering it’s been a couple of weeks since my last update. I was on vacation last week and was basically away from the blogsphere of the world. I got on the scale this morning and was really amazed. I’m down (drum roll, please!) a total of 22 lbs. as of this morning. Yeah!!



BUT I will admit that yesterday I DID work out what would be considered by some as being excessive. I woke up very early and decided to go for a 3 mile speed walk/run at my local favorite park. Then, I biked into work with a backpack of gear that weigh at least 15 lbs. After work, I biked over to the start of my normal Thursday evening Bike & Brew ride. I thankfully was able to stow my backpack in another bike club member’s car while I rode the 23 mile ride. I ended up having to change a flat tire with 2 miles left on the ride. Not fun at all! Then, I claimed my backpack and biked for home. I totaled 34 miles on the bike for the day.

Last night, I watched the 2007 movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Sometimes, I admit I find it amusing that a movie with two older male actors has created somewhat of a phenomenon. Bucket Lists have sprouted everywhere and have become a common theme in quite a few of people’s lives. Then, here is me Ms. List and I don’t have a bucket list.

Part of the reason I always thought was that I don’t want to have a life that’s planned out with goals and things to do. I like having an open-ness to life and feel that life is an adventure. Some of my best remembered moments have been totally unplanned; me just going along for the ride. Sometimes it has been rather hairy but overall it’s been very fulfilling. I’ve done quite a few things that have been on other people’s bucket list. I done half marathons, tri's, indoor skydiving, all kinds of cycling, and various other things.  To sound a bit like a Nike commercial but quite often I just do it and quite often its not planned through as well as it could have been.  For example, the Slow Salty Dog Tri that I did two years ago with only about 2 months worth of training.  OUCH!


But I’m thinking as of late that I could maybe open myself up to doing part of a list. Part of it has been my recent trip to Helena, MT. It has opened my eyes up a bit. There are places I would love to explore a little more if I had the time and there are experiences that I wouldn’t mind having.

Off the top of my head, I have always wanted to see a Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas but I look at the ticket price and question myself. I also have always thought it would be a wonderful experience to bike the road that goes around Crater Lake. They are not big things and if I really sat down I’m sure I could come up with some more. Maybe I’ll think about this for a little while and come up with my own bucket list. I might even share it.

From Karaoke to the Tour De Flat Tires...This Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend but it always seem that Monday morning comes way TOO early. It’s so true that time flies when you’re having fun, and drags when you are not. So I find myself reflecting over my weekend while time drags at my desk on Monday morning as I’m working on my second cup of Joe. Here’s a few of the highlights of this latest weekend.

Friday night started out with going to movie with a co-worker. After the movie we headed off to a local bar for dinner and drinks. While boxing part of HUGE rib eye steak, the bar was setting up for karaoke. The co-worker and I decided to stay and check it out. The next thing I know I’m being talked into doing a little singing. It had been about 1 year since I’ve done any karaoke and OMG I was HORRIBLE! I got up for the first song and apologized to everyone in the bar ahead of time. But isn’t part of karaoke singing bad and off key and realizing that you may have thought that you knew the song but you really didn’t know it that well after all.

Saturday morning nice and early I met a friend for a run/walk up City Creek Canyon. Oh what a pretty canyon to run/walk in. The canyon starts just east of the Utah State Capitol and meanders up an eight mile stretch of road that is closed off to traffic except for a few service vehicles. We tried running for a bit but mainly walked a good pace up and back down for a total of 6.25 miles.

(Photos- ABOVE- Kym & Diane wrestling with the first flat tire-- These ladies can make it a sport! BELOW: The four of us-Kym, myself, Diane, & Brooke with Diane's pretty bike.)

Sunday was what we (Diane, Brooke, Kym & I) ended up referring to the Tour De Flat Tires. We went for a BCC bike ride up to the beautiful Chalk Creek Canyon. This one of my favorite areas to bike because it’s SO scenic and NO stoplights to worry about. It’s a box canyon that’s about an hours drive from Salt Lake and it ends at the border of Wyoming and has a creek that runs down the center of it. It oft times reminds me of Iowa farmland only with mountains. The whole area is dotted with farms/ranches where there are sheep, goats, horses, and cows.

(Photos: ABOVE- Brooke and Kym giving the thumbs up-- this was before the first flat tire. BELOW- The second flat tire and the men that helped.)

The Tour De Flat Tires started off well and we were all laughing, being loud and a bit obnoxious. We might have broken some noise ordinances with all our “to do”. But we were having a BLAST! I think we were just asking for it and we ended up having three flat tires and one tire bulging after a fix. We decided to turn around after the third one considering we only had one tube left between the four of us. . Then we discovered that Diane had a bulge from the last fix and after that two of us faced the wind to bike back to get vehicles while Kym and Diane, the Queens of the Flats for the day, waited for us to come back for them.

(Photo- Yes, this is flat number 3 you guess it!)