Sorry not sorry

It's my birthday...I can have a solo CalTrain happy hour if I want to. 

(in my fave VIP seat, might I add?)

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Ummm...

we went to our fave lil produce stand today to pick up ingredients for my sudden guacamole craving...and while I was selecting the perfect tomato (lycopene, people.  getchu some.), Rob went and found this guy.  In the store. 

Dr Doolittle sprung into action, shooing the little critter into a produce bag, which he then showed off to store employees (reaction: "hey, we've been looking for him!") and a wide-eyed and apprehensive little boy outside before freeing him at a nearby park.  



Oh yeah, and the guac was good too.

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Picture of health.

I blame my boss for making me walk across the street to Walgreens to buy a half-pound of sugar, cuz he is holding my healthy banana hostage in the back office while he is on a conference call.

So there's that.

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Question: what sucks more than training for a triathlon?

Answer: NOT training for a triathlon because money gets in the way.

We had to make a difficult decision over the last few weeks, and have been toying with how to let the “non-TNT” world know.

The way that Team in Training works is pretty cool: we fundraise, they support, we train, they coach. Depending on the event chosen, each participant is responsible for raising a specified amount of money. A small part of the funds raised is used to cover participant training expenses (the time of volunteer coaches and other support staff) and event registration, while the vast majority goes directly to medical research. Eight weeks into the training season, participants are presented with a “recommitment” opportunity. It’s a time to reflect on how training and fundraising have gone and determine if it’s feasible to commit to the remainder of the season. Recommitment also means that each participant personally guarantees that he/she will meet his/her fundraising minimum by the end of the season. If a participant is not able to come up with the money from fundraising, then he/she commits to paying the remaining balance from his/her own pocket.

When our recommitment deadline approached in mid-March, we spent a good deal of time crunching numbers, checking and rechecking the calendar, and really examining the next few months from all sorts of angles. We’d tapped out nearly all of our donors, and while we were willing to get creative to raise more money for a tremendous cause, time is not on our side. My brand-new job and Rob’s ongoing job-hunt alone suck up a decent chunk of time. Sadly, adding a six-days-a-week training schedule (at 2 to 3+ hours per day!) and a lofty fundraising goal just proved to be too much. We realized that we’d have to make an adult decision to not recommit for the Spring 2011 season.

There is some good news, though! In speaking with the managing director of our Team, we were offered the option to defer our participation for up to one year. This means that while the big bucks we’ve already raised (thanks to you!) are already hard at work to fund medical research for a cure, we are able to rejoin Team in Training for a future season and will have a $3,250+ “head start” on our new fundraising goal.

Rob and I have loved, loved, loved the time we’ve spent on the Team. Being a grown-up isn’t easy, and we’re really disappointed that we can’t manage to fit everything in as we would like…but we’ll be back. And we’ll probably hit you up for money ; ]

Oh, hello Spring.

:D

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stamp it!

After the temper tantrum that nearly ensued when the damn EU decided that I didn't need stamps in my passport upon crossing various Euro-borders, I've been on a mission of redemption. During our 3-hour layover on our way home from India, I was determined to see a bit of Hong Kong and (more importantly), get the damn stamp in my passport. Oh yes, it will be mine.

The lovely Erin Bell is a current resident of HK, and gave us a quick route that we could take to the port and back. I must say, Hong Kong's efficiency is stellar. The Airport Express train put us in the middle of downtown a mere 30 minutes after we landed...

we spent 10 days in India with not one (racial profiling alert!) 7-Eleven sighting...and we find one on a random pier in Hong Kong...nice.

our quick little route through Victoria Harbor to Kowpoon

yaaay - Hong Kong!

dude, foreign McDonalds >>>> US McDonalds

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

It was a tight timeline, and I was sweaty-palmed for most of it (soooo nervous that we'd miss our flight), but I've now officially been to Hong Kong ... and not just inside the airport.

Point: Nicole

back to Bangalore

Christmas in India is ... interesting. Since the majority of the population isn't Catholic/Christian, its basically an excuse for (yet another) party...

Hundred-person catered barbecue? Count me in. House party? Sure. Santa in 80* temps? Umm...okay...

Indian goddess statue + Christmas tree = multiculturalism at its finest

On our last night in India, we subjected ourselves to a fish spa. These little guys nibbled off all of the dead skin and calluses on our tootsies. The photos and video speak for themselves for the most part...imagine 10 minutes, tons o' little fishies, and lots and lots o' squealing (on my part):


Our feet really did feel smooth and silky afterward! Would I do it once a week? Probably not... Once a month? Maybe.