Looking Forward

Happy May! Did you know this is my favorite month of the year? And not just because it's my birth month. I love Spring and May reminds me of birds singing, school ending, first river swims (if we were lucky!) outdoor eating, warm days and flowers blooming.  So it's a good time to be looking forward to things!

Today I'm looking forward to good weather, a nice after work run and a hearty dinner!

This week I am looking forward to meeting up with a friend for lunch and possibly volunteering for a race on Saturday!

This month I am looking forward to Mother's day with my real and honorary Mom, happy hour with friends, a friend's band playing in a local joint, a race with Broski, birthday celebrations with friends and family, a 50k race, and a mini vacation!

This year I am looking forward to rounding out one year at my current job, trips to Oregon, Canada, DC and possibly New York City, and a hiking trip to Mt. Shasta.

2012: Carrot Cake

What are you looking forward to? What exciting things do you have going on / coming up in your life?

Looking Forward

I haven't done one of these Looking Forward posts in a while, but was just thinking about how much I am enjoying life right now, even though (or maybe because) it's been pretty full of things going on! So I thought this would be the perfect time to look forward to remember some of the things that are going to be happening sooner rather than later!

Today I am looking forward to another nice sunny day and a easy run after work. The evenings have been beautiful and it really brings me joy to have a nice place to run and to wind down after a busy day at work.

Lake Merritt

This week I am looking forward dinner out with friends on Thursday. We will be going to a place that I have not tried before and I always love trying new places! Also, Saturday night a friend is having a late Chinese New Years party. It will be really great to catch up with friends and eat lots of pot-stickers!

This month I am looking forward working in the garden. I started my seeds yesterday and hopefully in about a week they will start sprouting. Also, I spent some time weeding and getting the garden ready for the transplant, but there is still work to be done! It's so calming being outdoors in the sun with your fingers in the dirt, and so satisfying when things begin to grow and produce real food! I have barely bought a store bought tomato since I started growing my own; they just can't compare!

This year I am looking forward to so many things! The Boston marathon, going to hike and spend time with my second family in Oregon, hiking Mt. Shasta with my brother and Dad, going to the Bottle Rock concert in Napa, and possibly taking a couple other short trips to see friends.

*inspired by Lisa

What are you looking forward to? Do you grow any vegetables? Do you have any fun trips on the horizon?

Looking Forward

Today I am looking forward to hopefully talking to my Mom on the phone before she leaves to go Back East to see HER mother. She and my Dad are finally taking a couple weeks off to go travel and have fun and see some family. I am so excited for both of them. I am also looking forward to my lunch time walk, which affords me views like this:

This week I am looking forward to dinner and running with the Broski (he still has not given up! Hurray!), a short work week (I guess that is next week though but I am taking it) and lots of pumpkin based dishes! I already made pumpkin curry, pumpkin spice muffins, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin seeds and...whoa I am starting to sound like Forrest Gump! Pumpkin!

This month I am looking forward to many family and friend reunions! November and December are all already booked full every weekend. There will be turkey with the Broski, brunch with friends, friends coming to visit from the Midwest, a holiday walk in the city with the family, 2 concerts and more! It will be a packed 30 days (or 45!)

This year I am looking forward to getting more comfortable at work, traveling, settling in more, running a couple of Ultras and of course The Boston Marathon! The family is probably going back east with me for a grand hoopla of a time. It should be a lot of fun!

*inspired by Lisa

What are you looking forward to? What is your favorite pumpkin dish?

Looking Forward

June is almost over and that means it's time for another Looking Forward post.

Today I am looking forward to going hiking! Here is where I am planning to go! There are dozens of choices for where to go and we haven't figured it out just yet, but I am sure that no matter where we go, it will be fun!

This week I am looking forward to a fun weekend back in Santa Cruz, including a long run of 19 miles. I love mapping out where I am going to go, as well as finding new, cool places with each extra mile I go. Last time I ended up here.

Where will I end up this time? Who knows. Also, Mr. Lovely and I are kind of establishing a weekend tradition of going out to eat at a new restaurant and then watching the Euro cup. So far, it's been fun. We have tried Chinese, a few different burritos and a Hawaiian place. What's in store for this weekend?

This month I am looking forward to many things! In July, we have plans to see some friends from Madison, WI who will be here for a wedding (hi S&R!) Also, beach days with Bay Area friends are in the works. Also, Mr. Lovely's brother may come for a visit. To top it off, it's my Mom and Aunt's birthday, 4th of July, my friend's birthday and much more! July is a busy month! I am also considering signing up for a longer trail run in July to find out if I am ready for a 50k in August.

This year I am looking forward to figuring out the future a little. Things have been kind of up in the air for the past year or so. Mr. Lovely decided to go back to school to get his Structural Engineering License (PE). I have been wondering about my future, both professionally and personally. Hopefully after this summer, I will have more of a handle on where we will be, as well as what we will be doing, at least for the next year or two. We have many decisions to make, but many of them are reliant on what happens now, in order to figure out what happens later. I hate waiting and will be glad when the future is a little clearer.

What are you looking forward to? Have you been watching the Euro Cup? What will you be doing in July? (want to come visit for a beach day?)

Looking Forward

When Lisa introduced me to the idea of "looking forward", I knew I was going to copy her borrow it from her. It is a great way to remind yourself of all the good things that are coming up in your life, rather than worrying about the bad ones.

Today I am looking forward to my run. I had a really great run last Saturday, where I went all around Oakland, through all the little neighborhoods and up and down the hills, and it really reinforced my belief in how much I love where I live. Today my run will be a bit shorter, but regardless, it will be beautiful. The weather has been in the 60s with a nice cool breeze coming off the bay, so I am ready to get moving!

This week I am looking forward to seeing my parents. I got to see them for dinner on Easter weekend, but it was a pretty short visit, so I decided to drive up and see them for the weekend, so we can relax and visit some more. I miss bossing them around, making them eat what I cook, playing games with them and just plain hanging out with them! So I will probably make up for lost time and do all of the above. Also the wildflowers are in bloom, so we will most likely take a hike and have a photo walk! It will be really fun!

Home

This month I am looking forward to my once a week walk/run with a friend. She put her name in for the Nike Half Marathon and is hoping not to get picked, since she can't quite run a mile without stopping yet. But I have devised a training program for her and we are doing run/walk intervals, so she is going to be fine. It's fun seeing her starting out and knowing how much improvement she will see week by week. It reminds me of how much we are capable of. It's pretty amazing.

Next month I am looking forward to so many things! The Relay, Mother's Day with my real mom and my "other mother" (my friend's mom who has put up with me for so long she gets honorary motherhood), my next 12 in 2012 race, which I think is going to be another trail race, going to a Giants game and much, much more. May should be a pretty busy month!

This year I am looking forward to running another marathon, a possible vacation in Oregon, the Giant Race with my friend Hashi, my Grandmother's 80th birthday party, swimming in Lake Tahoe, many baseball games, times with friends and lots of good food!

What are you looking forward to?