our weekend was: the tourist edition

happy monday! all of the days are starting to blend together a little bit here, as the only thing that really distinguishes the weekend is that i'm NOT at my computer in the afternoon and evening to work. this was our first weekend here on our own, and here's what we got up to:

did a little sightseeing in the neighborhood. no biggie.

guess what i did...

this was me at about 11:45am on sunday, february 16th, 2014 in austin, texas.

about ten minutes prior to that photo being taken, i had just crossed the finish line of my first marathon. and about 30 seconds after that photo was taken, i said, "nope. never again."

realness: at mile 20 (yes, the wall IS real), i hobbled to a portapotty, sat down on it for 10 minutes, and cried while i called blake. i really, honestly, didn't think i could finish. SIX MORE MILES?? are you kidding me? that was a whole hour more of running. well, at that point, everything hurt, and i was run/walking (and moan/crying). in a story we will tell our grandchildren, still on a seahawks super bowl winning high, blake told me to hustle like russell (wilson). yes, russell wilson, the quarterback for the seattle seahawks, who was chosen in like the 8 millionth round of the draft and then went on to win blah de blah blah. but hilariously, it worked. i DID hustle like russell. or at least i tried. and i crossed that damn finish line. and i got my medal and i got my t-shirt. and i vowed that i was one and done. nope. no more. i'll stick to half-marathons, thankyouverymuch.

but guess what i just did.

i just signed up to run it again in 2015. 

glutton for pain? maybe. perfectionist? absolutely. 

you see, all i could think about after the race was, "i wonder how i could train better/faster/harder and beat my time..."

and here we are. about 8 months out, and i've been on a running break for about a month at this point. i guess it's time to lace up and start pounding out those miles. i WILL beat my time. 

the best part is that this time around, i don't need to worry about doing 16, 18, and 20 miles in the snow, which was the story of my training during the winter from hell. it started snowing in october and didn't end until april. there were lots of faces like this made when i would wake up to run in the morning and there was snow. 

hooray for endless summers and lots of great training days ahead in LA!

yes, it's nuts. but here we go... austin, i'm coming for you!

five on friday: life in burgundy so far

wait a second, how has it been a whole week since the last time i posted? wow! we have had our hands full getting settled here in burgundy, where we'll be hanging out for the next few weeks. for today's link-up (with april, natasha, darci, and christina), i thought i'd do a list of five things that i'm loving about our summer homestead.

1. there's a friggin cherry tree.

it is a 180 degree turn from our city apartment to be living a few kilometers outside of a village of 4600 people, with at least an acre or two of gardens and orchards. we are quickly learning the ins and outs of taking care of such an operation (blake has become the chief waterer, which is quite the daily task). but one of the many bonuses is that we arrived right in the middle of cherry season. oh, you'd like a few cherries to snack on? let me just climb the ladder and pick some instead of taking the subway to whole foods and paying $10 a pound for them.

2. this sweet pup

this is dylan! she's the reason we're here, taking care of her while her parents are in the states for a few weeks. she's the sweetest, gentlest, most sensitive dog i've ever met, and i adore her. she is mostly low maintenance, except for the fact that twice a day, we drive her across the village to a park so she can poop in her preferred spot. this is not a joke. also, she speaks three languages, so she's smarter than both of us.

3. working. with a view.

i'm back on the clock these days, but working from noon-ish to 9pm-ish, so that i can catch up with my east coast clients and colleagues. big fan of that schedule, and an even bigger fan of this view. parking myself on the patio, soaking up some sun, and getting so much done in those hours before everyone else is awake is kind of a dream come true. also, no subways to deal with. and i haven't put on make-up in a week.

4. allez les bleus!

so i'm a HUGE world cup fan. growing up in germany, it's taken very, very seriously, and i am pretty torn between rooting for germany and the us (god help me when they play next week). now, of course, we also have to cheer for france! tonight, they play switzerland at 9pm, so we're going to ride bikes down to the village, set up camp in the brasserie, and have some local wine while we shout "allez les bleus" with a terrible french accent.

5. one more trip to paris

it's only an hour-long train ride away, and i am daydreaming about spending one more night in paris before we head to the airport. i totally fell in love with the marais, the neighborhood we stayed in, and all i want is one more evening spent with a bottle of wine in a sidewalk cafe eating steak frites. merci beaucoup!

blake's parents are coming to visit this weekend for a few days, so i'm excited to explore more of burgundy! and i'm excited to be posting more, now that we're here and settled.

bon weekend a tous!

five on friday: paris pics

i'm beginning to think we might not leave paris... we've really adapted to a tres french schedule:

wake up late, leisurely stroll to a cafe for a croissant et cappuccino, sit in the sun for an hour, continue strolling until we're hungry again, find another cafe to drink a glass of sancerre and eat a baguette avec jambon et fromage, then hit a patisserie for a macaron and some creme caramel to eat by the river, come home and take a late afternoon nap, then finally head out for some steak frites and another three hours of people-watching and wine-drinking until hitting the hay around midnight. it's ideal and it's how i want to spend every day for the rest of my life. ok, maybe for the rest of the summer.

for this week's five on friday, here are five of my fave pics from the last few days here in the city of lights!

eiffel tower selfie zomggg

handstands across europe: the tour continues

seen on a bridge

at the luxembourg gardens (#bighairdontcare)

paris peonies. swoon.

one more day, then we're off to burgundy for the rest of the summer!