John Muir said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” We agree. So we are going. Today we leave to hike southbound on The Long Trail in Vermont. It’s the oldest long-distance hiking trail in America (completed in 1930). We are going to try to complete between 150-175 miles of the 273-mile trail. The…
I’m not sure what to call it … a triathlon … a mini-adventure race … all I know is on Sunday, J & I did 22 miles of activity consecutively and competitively … and survived! This is a race in J’s town we’ve wanted to do for the last 3 years. The first year here,…
So last night at about 11:30 pm, I was on the phone with my mom and I felt the house shake and heard a loud boom. J thought it was ShortShorts’ wood stove exploding or a tree falling on the house, but after further investigation, we found no evidence. There were no sirens either, so…
What a boring week … no work and I did not find too many places to apply. Ho hum. I did hear back from one place. A medical editing contract job. It was only a first contact (the editing test would come next and we know how well I do on those), but I turned…
My favorite season of fall is definitely in the air, but we’ve had such an awesome summer in terms of weather (even too hot at times), it’s hard to say goodbye. J & I hit the roads of Contoocook for a 16-miles bike ride today to enjoy the last of the summer. J definitely shows…
I am no longer a contract graphic designer. I sent the auto repair magazine to print for the last time today. It feels good. I will miss the steady paycheck and the sweet computer, but I will not miss the anxiety I felt every other week. If you know a graphic designer (Shadow …), go…
I saw this on another blog awhile ago and I thought it was an interesting post. Especially since I am quite the frugal lady (with an even more frugal husband) and we currently have limited funds, so the burning question is what are my my weaknesses when it comes to spending money. I like spending…
I didn’t have any work to do this week. No magazine layout (that’s next week). No magazine articles. My article in the local newspaper came out, but I did the work for it awhile ago. I looked for new work. High and low. But zilch. So I got very domestic. ShortShorts and theQuilter are away…
Well, there was not ANY traffic this past Labor Day weekend on our drive to Jersey. Which forces me to ask, where all the people at??? But, no traffic=happy road trippers. The purpose of the trip … you guessed it. A concert. It looks like J’s all-time favorite band, From Good Homes, is semi-back together…
I survived my 3rd issue of the auto magazine!!! It IS getting easier, but it’s still extremely stressful and I officially decided Oct. 1 will be my last issue. I have some other freelance work coming down the chute in the fall, so I think I will be better off. Now onto the long weekend,…
Last week, J & I stayed in a Bed & Breakfast for free (my magazine assignment) and an AMC hut for free (J won this prize at a rec director conference). Let’s see how they compare. Getting thereB&B … 30-mile drive north on the highway in a car, walk up 3 stairsHut … 60-mile drive…
I am a deadline-oriented person. I actually love deadlines and thrive on them, which is a good thing because deadlines play a huge role in my field. Lately, I’ve had to deal with some deadlines, but found myself not liking one of the deadlines. I am still doing that biweekly layout/design work for that auto…
This weekend was a big ‘ol family reunion of sorts. Mostly with J’s sisters and significant others coming to New England and wreaking havoc. J’s sisters (SILAdventure & SILMeow) live in Denver and Chicago, respectively, so we don’t all get together often, aside from occasional holidays. So it’s nice to gather just for the hell…
It is going to be very hard for me to describe our volunteer experience this weekend at the Untamed New England Adventure Race. Adventure racing itself is hard enough to explain, and to convey the incredible behind-the-scenes experience is that much harder. Not to sound overly dramatic, but I’m pretty sure we are changed by…
I have another volunteering gig from tomorrow through Sunday. This one is quite unique and I think it’s going to be intense. I’m volunteering on the course of the Untamed New England Adventure Race. But this is not just standing at a water station at the halfway mark. This race involves 170 miles of paddling,…
He is a triathlete, hear him roar. I asked J to blog about his triathlon today, but he said I could. How am I supposed to convey the experience of a first-time triathlete? I will say, he is a rockstar! He not only completed the whole thing, but he did really well! Except for the…
This was a Very Hard week (with a capital V and H). I started some new contract work and went through daily panic, anxiety and heart attacks. But no snack attacks. That would have been fine. Just the bad kinds of attacks. I And I was a bit of a Drama Queen (again with capitals)…
ShortShorts has been very giving with the vegetables this summer! And we picked up some fresh garlic from another gardener we know. It’s the best birth control yet.
And I’m not even doing it!!! This training schedule has me very tired, very tired. Today, we drove up to the triathlon site and completed the bike and run. No swimming yet. We did try to go swimming again, but got the hours mixed up and the pool was closed. I think J is destined…
I know you probably laugh when I say how busy I feel these days. Busy enough that I can’t even blog about being unemployed! I have no kids, no job … what the heck do I do all day??? But, I am busy, terribly busy. There are things cooking and I’m not ready to fully…