Cheese & Cat

There comes a point in one person’s life when they can’t possible eat any more cheese.

This happened to me Saturday at the Cheese Festival. But what was I to do? There was a plethora of cheese for the sampling....bleus, feta, cheddar, goat, brie, camembert, chevre, gouda, fontina, mozzarella, stilton, swiss....ah, the list could go on and on, and those are just the more common names I remember ingesting. I can’t even remember what my favorite one was called, because I was herded on to the next cheese station before I could take note.

The downside of the Cheese Festival
1. Hordes of people packed together scrounging for free cheese in the 85 degree heat. Sweaty claustrophia.
2. My stomach couldn’t even make it through two tents. I missed out on at least 4 others.
3. Sunburn. Red. Pain.

The upside of the Cheese Festival
1. Mmmm....cheese.
2. Enjoying the vibrant Seattle culinary scene with Todd, Aubrey & Ryan.
3. Pike Place Market on a sunny day is one of my favorite places to be.

Despite our gluttony on cheese, we still made a dessert stop at our favorite cheesecake shop, The Confectional. I restrained myself from a yummy individual cheesecake and had a delicious caramel cheesecake truffle instead. I convinced myself (fairly easily) that the entire day's cheese overload was deserved after my morning 5-mile run.

My best friend Catherine is coming today for a six day visit! I’m so excited and I don’t want to be stuck at work right now, but at least I have a four day weekend to spend with her. I’m not sure what all we’ll do in addition to the touristy stuff, but there’s sure to be sushi and wine and a wedding dress fitting and a jog or two along the lake together.

new kicks

Behold, my shiny new Adrenalines.

I took them for their first run last night and I have no complaints. They felt great, looked great, and had the right amount of support and cushioning. While my heel didn't give me any problems, my knee did start hurting after two miles, I think that's just because I took some time off and probably should've done a shorter, slower run. But it was so gorgeous out so I wanted to get in at least a three mile run. And I was kinda crunched for time so I had to run faster. This is somewhat logical thinking, right?

I ran to Gas Works park via Eastlake/Burke Gilman trail. Lots of people were out running, playing frisbee, taking engagement photos, flying kites, doing some weird trapeze artistry.......

It's my favorite park in Seattle, set on a hill at the north end of Lake Union where there used to be a gas manufacturing plant. With a picturesque view of downtown, its a great place to watch the sailboats and seaplanes come and go.



I stopped there briefly to enjoy the view, then looped back to Trader Joe's to conclude my 'grocery run', where I discovered a new favorite treat— the Pinachio cookie, made with pistachios and white chocolate chunks. MMMMmm!

Tomorrow is the Seattle Cheese Festival, we're hoping to meet up with some friends and partake in some yummy cheese and wine.

undetermined

I’ve been away for awhile. Not so much physically away, but more so mentally.

We had some layoffs at my company, which cut my department in half and left me with twice the workload. The last two weeks were unbearably crazy, but thankfully this week has slowed down and allowed me time to breathe.

I reorganized my cube, hung some engagement photos, traded in my office chair for an exercise ball (I’ve only fallen over once), and adopted a couple of plants.

I feel as though I’m in dire need of a vacation. Not just a lazy weekend or a random day off of work, a REAL vacation. With complete freedom to do whatever I want to do and not worry about deadlines and to-do lists.

We went to Idaho last weekend to visit Todd’s parents, and for the next three weeks, we have a steady stream of friends/family visiting. (which I LOVE, don’t get me wrong. I’d even love more people to visit Seattle!)

It’s just that I think I’m fed up with my job and ready to be done with it and do something I enjoy. Still trying to figure out what that will be.

My running seems to have taken a vacation though. I’ve had a sore heel for over a week. And I'm doing my best to go against my normal way of dealing with injuries—which is to keep on running anyways— and give it some decent rest to heal before I start 'training' for some undetermined summer race.

In good news, my co-worker’s girlfriend works at Brooks Running headquarters and got me some new shoes with a sweet discount, plus she threw in two pairs of free shorts. I love free swag.

With the lovely weather today and through this weekend, I’m hoping to get in some pain-free runs. Oooh, and maybe go kayaking! Have a picnic! Something fun in the sun. With sunscreen, of course. I don't mind the recent cloudy, cool Seattle weather, but it's always exciting to see the sun come out to play.