Today I was Happy

Today I was

• standing in my kitchen
• heating up hot cocoa
• cleaning my glasstop stove
• listening to 'French Cafe' on Pandora
• while watching my kitten jump into the air at imaginary prey.

and I was happy/content/at peace. My livelong goal is to be at peace in my skin at any single moment. For me this is my highest calling in life. Being at peace means that I have learned to overcome my internal voice that says "you're not good enough". It means that I am not longer relying on other people to validate my feelings. It means that I'm not relying on anyone to provide for me emotional, physical, or financial support. It means that I have learned that I am in fact good enough and that I am all I need. Although I'm a long way from embracing this concept on a daily basis, I can rejoice in the fact that today, for a brief moment, I felt at peace. 

xoxo,

Moderngypsygirl.

Week One

 

I really am going to do my best NOT to write a post for every week of my kitten's life...after all I'm still a good 4 days behind on finishing my Trans Rockies Recap...but week one has been special. The truth is they grow so fast and you forget things quickly.

Sleepy Kitten 

I am also doing my best to NOT post all 400 of the pictures I've taken of him this week on Facebook...You Are Welcome!!

I purchased this cat dish when I was 17 yrs. old. I was at Six Flags in Houston, Tx. when
I saw this dish on sale and had to buy it as I knew one day I would have a kitten. I used it
for Sir Elton when he was a kitten and now it has been passed down to Baby Bernie.
#sylvester&tweetie

I'm so pleased with how well he has settled in to his new home life. He has grown so much this week. I see less and less baby and more and more cat in him everyday!

For example:

1  .He has found every NON-toy in the house and completely ignored all his cat approved toys
2.  He completely ignores me when I ask him to get down from the coffee table (a cat free zone in my house)
3.  He completely ignores me when I ask him to NOT destroy our $3 Ikea Lamp (apparently Rice Paper is nice on the claws!)
4. When I move him from the coffee table to the couch, he no longer wants to lay there because it was not his idea!
5.  Anything laying within his reach is suddenly HIS.
6.  Did I mention he completely ignores me?

Bernie does have a mind of his own and has found some of his favorite things.

He loves this red comb? No idea why? But we must play with it multiple times a day!

He loves laying ON TOP of his cat carrier...although I doubt I can easily coax him inside next time he needs to travel somewhere in it...

He is obsessed with the refrigerator. The minute I open the door....he can be in a completely different room...he comes running to jump into the fridge.

He found the cursor on the computer :) (another non cat toy!).

He has a sweet tooth like his mommy. Don't dare leave a cup of hot cocoa on the coffee table (see why he's not allowed!)...it's fair game. He actually is pretty obsessed with drinking out of any cup, glass, or mug :(

His absolute favorite place to play is in the storage/extra closet/pantry area. He goes in there and finds places to hide and purrs and purrs and purrs. It's so sweet that I indulge in his little obsession.

Because he is so little and can fit into so many places he has found every spec of dirt and dust bunny in my house. I thought I was a clean person, but he has me rethinking that idea!

Unfortunately it's been raining like crazy here in Denver (in case someone was living under a rock and didn't hear the news!) and so Bernie hasn't had much opportunity to go outside and explore his little area. Hopefully next week I will get him outside more.

Bernie is stalking a fly in our crazy/messy front yard

Honing in on his hunting skills 

XOXO,

Moderngypsygirl. & her miniature cat 

Introducing Loki Bernard

Anyone who knows anything about me knows I'm a major cat lover. Ever since I was a baby I've had this love affair with cats. So when Sir Elton passed away in May my life has been empty. I've been to PetSmart on numerous occasions saying HI to all the kitties. Every week there were some sweet cats, but none of them seem to claim me.

I had a busy summer and was traveling almost every weekend so it made sense that I didn't have a cat. A friend of mine in West Virginia had taken in a stray cat and found out that this beauty was pregnant. On July 4th four little babies were born.

Mama kitty feeding the babies hours after they were born

A friend of mine suggested I take one of the babies. Of course I figured it was a good idea!!! After all look how cute!! The best part was that the kitties would be ready for their new homes around the beginning of Sept. The time frame worked well for me as I knew I wouldn't be traveling much.

I'm sure I could have found a cute little kitten in Colorado, but there was just something about the little fur babies in West Virginia that called my name. Plus I could make a little vacay out of it AND see my friend's Rebecca & IB (mama kitty's parents). The best part is that I knew that the mom and babies had been well care for!

For about a month I had been receiving adorable pics of my little guy. I wanted a boy kitty and so it was pretty easy to pick since there was only one little boy!

Baby Bernie @ 4 weeks old 

On Sept 4th I flew to West Virginia. When I first met Baby Bernie ( or Loki or LB---still not sure which one he prefers?) he was cautious! I know he isn't going to be like Sir Elton (and I do my best not to compare him to the best cat ever!), but sometimes it's a little hard. He wasn't much for cuddling and really seemed to be uninterested in his new mommy! My insecurities about being rejected kicked in. His sweet little sisters seemed to be much more interested in hanging out with me.

I would hold him and do my best to spend quality time. He mostly tolerated me. On Sunday we had a long flight home to Denver. We first had to drive to Pittsburgh, PA and then fly for almost 4 hours to Denver. In the car he meowed a lot. I felt terrible and decided to give him some baby Benadryl to make his trip more enjoyable. The poor kitty didn't care for his medicine...after all...it was cherry flavored! It did calm him down and he fell asleep quickly. Finally we got to the airport and checked in. He started crying and wasn't a big fan of the long line through security, but can you blame him? We sat for about an hour waiting for our plane to board. Here I let him out of his carrier and he seemed to be a pretty happy kitten.

Waiting to Board the plane

Once we got onto the plane I sat next to a super nice guy. Who didn't hate kittens (plus!). Of course when I brought the cat on board all the flight attendants were oohing and ahhing over him! He was clearly the cutest passenger. After a little while (longer than I wanted) he calmed down and fell asleep.

Half way through the flight a lady in front of me wanted to see him and play with him. She asked if I would bring him out...My reply was "I'd rather not!" I mean, who wakes a sleeping baby! Eventually, (curiosity got the best of me!) I pulled him out and gave him to her. She played with him for a little bit, until he got too wiggly! I let him hang out in the seat for a little while 

A thirsty kitten 

Our flight was uneventful. My good friend Heather met us at the airport.

Loki patiently waiting for Heather to pick us up!

Now we've been home almost 2 days. Loki Bernard has had an eventful couple of days. The first day he was able to experience the back yard and meet his little friend Julien (my 1 1/2 yr. old neighbor boy). They had fun running and hiding from each other!

He spent his first day alone as I went to work and did tremendously! He has been settling in perfectly. He eats, uses his litter box, and purrs! He is still a little boy and so cuddling isn't top on his list...unless he is SUPER tired. I was worried with how he would adjust as it was his first time away from his mom (he was still nursing!) and sisters, but he has done so well.

Ever day when I've come home he greets me at the door purring so loudly! He of course wants to play chase. He loves to chase me around the house and wants me to return the favor. It's like a personal workout inside my house.

Every night he sleeps on my bed and has done a good job of waking me up before 6 am! My little furry alarm clock is back!! I'm so looking forward to my life with this little furry creature that I call my own. He is cautious and loving. I can't wait to see where our adventures take us. I feel so honored to be his human mommy and am grateful to his kitty mommy for being such a good mom and for producing such a fun loving little boy!

xoxo,

Moderngypsygirl. & her miniature cat 

Stage 2 : No Hope for me Pass! Goal: Take Pictures finish under 4 hrs.

Today would be over Hope Pass. I've heard a lot about Hope Pass as it's part of the Leadville 100 course. I have successfully avoided ever running over it because honestly, it doesn't sound like much "fun". Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to today even though it is only 13.4 miles.

The night before we had dinner and then the awards ceremony (top 3 teams in each category) and then there was a briefing for the next day. This mostly involves a guy talking about race conditions, the course, etc. I do my best to pay attention, but I often find myself thinking about those really cute shoes I'd like to buy!

So last night the guy does his speech about the course. The only thing I really remembered was that he insisted we had to be ready to take the most dangerous school bus ride (that would probably break down before we got to our destination) by 7 am! Now I'm never one to show up to an event on time never mind EARLY. I figured 7 am was pretty early considering we didn't even start until 8:30 am. I also have this completely rational fear of being cold! And given we were starting around 10K feet, I figured it would probably be cold!

Mike & Rob (those guys leading the race & veteran's to the race) reassured me that the bus would not leave without me and that all the threats of being ready by 7 am were really just that ... threats!

So the next morning I get up and do the breakfast thing (in my pajamas, winter coat, and hat...I looked like a bag lady!). I do notice that Mike & Rob have already hopped on a bus towards the start line. Granted they are probably warming up or something productive.

As I'm getting my stuff together I hear James (I think James because I wasn't really looking) whistling over to Carlos and I to hurry up as the bus was leaving. Ugh! I still had a few preparations to do and I needed to go to the bathroom! As I leave the bathroom and head towards the bus it starts taking off without me...seriously! Of course this makes me start running (who said I don't do warmups!). I jump onto the bus as James and his partner Tinder are laughing! Such a middle child (James) brotherly thing to do! Carlos is still behind me as he had to move the car, but we all make it successfully and not prior to 7am! Win Win!

On the bus to the start...our Red/Pink Day 

I do give James a break as it's his birthday. We sing a little birthday tune to him and then start chatting to the people around us. There is a girl with Oxygen...like actual cans of Oxygen!! She had a box of Oxygen mailed out to her so that she could use it over Hope Pass. As if I wasn't concerned about Hope Pass before, now I'm a little worried. The girl is a 3 or 4 time veteran runner of the race too! Although these cans are quite bulky, kudos to the fact that they are very light...after all it's OXYGEN!

Per usual, we are the last people to check in...and we are off. The first part of the run is flatish, which is normally my preferred way to warm up, but with the hamstring issue, it actually hurts. The Aid Station was only about 2.5 miles in and so we check in as quick as possible and then start the CLIMB!

This part of the trail is a single track climb. The only thing I can say is that it sucked!! Carlos was behind a girl that was using those little hiking poles and she was moving pretty slowly (I was relieved!). But the people behind us weren't so much! In fact, I think it was Goat that screamed "move out of the way"! Ha! Who said all Ultra runners are nice ;). Carlos and I did stop a time or two, the only challenge is that if you stopped, you ended up behind a long line of people. Eventually Carlos decided that he was going to Tow me up so that we didn't end up further behind. It worked like magic!!

Sara (the top female in the solo division) had told us about towing the night before. She had used the technique with her male partner in years prior. The only difference is that they had proper towing materials....like a rope around each other's waist with a bungee in between that clipped on. Carlos and I didn't have much time to prepare, so any type of towing device was out of the question. So instead he just grabbed my hands and literally pulled me up the hill! I called it the "poor man's tow".

Carlos 'Towing" me up Hope Pass

A word on towing. It really is amazing. Conserves so much energy so that my heart rate stays at a manageable rate and it keeps me moving at a much faster rate than I would be on my own. It also saves my legs for the downhill. On the other hand it really does add work (I'm told!) to Carlos. He was really such a great champ!!

Prior to Carlos towing me, I was in a pretty bitter mood (and doing my best to hide it!). Carlos would ask "how you doing?", I would respond "fine". He would then say, "do you need to stop". Me "no". "Did you take a gel?" Me..."yes"...which was probably a fib ;). This is where Carlos excels because he sensed my less than desirable mood and took action.

He changed my whole climb around and I started to enjoy the scenery!

Carlos, Billy, & I made it to the top!

We made it! 

After our ridiculous climb the fun part was about to begin! I didn't know what the descent would be like, but I knew it would be much easier than the climb. The first part is pretty steep, so I just took off. There was a checkpoint about 1 mile down, so Carlos and I checked in and then he just let me go!

It was such an awesome feeling to be flying down the trail. It was pretty steep & rocky, which I love. I passed a ton of people (major confidence booster), which helped us get back on target with our 4 hour (very aggressive) goal. I only had one person pass me on the downhill (and I was truly offended,. lol). It was this girl I called "America" because she had USA flag shorts. I later talked to her and learned she was doing the 3 day solo as a "warm up" to the Leadville 100 (happening on Sat am!). The crown of crazy rests on her head! :)

Once we hit the flat section, I was done mentally. Carlos caught up to me and we ran/walked it in to the finish. I didn't take any nutrition at the last aid station, so I was behind on my sugar intake. When I took some it was a bit too late to turn around the last part of the race. As we were running in we (and when I say we, I really mean ME!) were doing our best to not let any mixed teams pass us. However, right as I was pushing it across the finish line a girl & this guy come in seconds before me! I was pissed, but really too exhausted to do anything about it!! Instead I headed to the med tent to have my hami stretched! 

We came in just over our goal at 4:03:06. We then took the shuttle into Leadville where we met up with James (and ate some very yummy pizza!!) and enjoyed the coffee shop and INTERNET!

Billy worked up an appetite too! 

Carlos and I also decided that we would take a hotel!! YIPEEE!! Carrie & Ken also joined us. In order to get to the hotel Carlos had to go back and get our car. While he was getting our car, Carrie, Ken, & I wandered down to the Refreshment station. I saw the results posted so I took a look and to my extreme surprise we came in 3rd place in the Open Mixed Category!! I was so stoked!!! I had no idea we had done so well. We were going to be standing on the podium at the awards ceremony tonight!!! Something I could have never dreamed! 

I'm so excited that I call Carlos (texting is not worthy of this kind of news)! He is as stoked as I am. We decide not to tell James and just let him be surprised as we get called on stage!  

We got checked into our hotel and I was able to take a bath!!! Ahhh! Then it's time for dinner. I see Sara for the first time that day and ask her how her day went. She did amazing (as usual) and actually ran the entire way up HOPE PASS!! She really is a monster! I tell her our exciting news and she turns to James and says...did you know they got 3rd place?! haha! James was totally shocked! I guess he didn't have a lot of faith in our abilities. 

We won Nathan Hydration Packs...ironic since we are sponsored by Nathan. Notice our shirts

I again didn't pay close enough attention to what would be happening the next day. I was just thrilled to be sleeping in a hotel room! Cheers to stage 3...halfway point!

  XOXO,

Moderngypsygirl.

Sun Sentinel Article on JJ100

Going long

Rachel La Grandeur, of Fort Lauderdale, ran 101.4 miles in 27 hours, 46 minutes, 18 seconds last weekend in the Javelina 100 at Fountain Hills, Ariz. She was 94th of 137 finishers. Lou Esposito, of Sunrise, completed about half the race before dropping out with a leg injury. La Grandeur prepped by running 46.2 miles in the Javelina 12 Hour Night Run in September.

Fort Lauderdale 13.1 addition

A 5K run has been added to the 13.1 Marathon Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 14. For details, visit http://www.131fortlauderdale.com.

Cycling champ

Wil Zegers, of Miramar, won the gold medal for age 45-49 in the 750-meter time trial at the Track Cycling Masters World Championships in Portugal, clocking 50.768.

Craig Davis can be reached at cldavis@SunSentinel.com. For more Participant Sports news, visit Craig Davis' blog at SunSentinel.com/recreation

Ironman 70.3 Miami on Saturday: Dolabella going strong after 3 decades

Stage 1...Goal: Take Pictures, finish under 6 hours.

The best part about our accommodation (other than the comfy bed, great fireplace, & beautiful shower) is that it was right in front of the race start! The best part of this is that we could sleep in!! Which is kind of comical considering the race doesn't even start until 8:30 am...one of the benefits of running at 8000'.

Although I had a comfy bed, I didn't sleep super well (sleep seems to always be a casualty before a big race for me!), and I was a bit anxious to run. You see, I don't like to run on courses to which I'm not familiar! I feel like if I know a course I can mentally prepare for any surprises (like long hill climbs!). BUT, with 4 days notice, it's not likely I'd have any time to prep for today's run. I'm lucky I had time to pack clothes!

Carlos and I ready for Stage 1 (This is our Orange Day!)
We did our best to coordinate outfits each day! 

I was also a bit anxious because I've never ran with a partner before. I am not certain of the rules, but there is some rule that you have to check into the check points within a minute of each other or something?!? My biggest concern was that I would be super slow and that my left hamstring would be bothering me!

So the week prior, I went to a PT to have some ART done on my legs. When I found out that I was running the TR, I was open to trying anything to help me get healthy, fast! So I tortured myself by doing cryotherapy. It is basically putting yourself naked into a cylinder that blows cold air (like -300F) onto your body for 2.5 minutes.  The only benefit I gained was that it entertained my masochistic tendencies for 5 minutes (yes I did it twice!), and drained my wallet of $100 bucks!  Moving on!

So after checking in (near the back of course...this is our theme!) We listened to AC/DCs "Highway to Hell" ...as if I wasn't already questioning my decision to say Yes to this race! 

And we were off! The first bit was really quite pretty! Since we were near the middle/back of pack, there was a long line up the hill. I didn't mind as I really don't find any enjoyment in climbing hills!! 

It was also nice because we had an opportunity to meet people around us. Since it is hard to remember people's names I just called people by their state. We had our California friends (2 very awesome ladies from Cali!), we had our Canada crew, and then we had our Florida ladies!! We also met "goat" who is a bit of a legend in the Ultra running community and is the race director for Nanny Goat and some other races out in California that have the word "goat" in them.

The best part was that Billy the Bison (remember our stuffed animal from my first report...are you reading these things?!?), had a lot of friends out on the trail. There was a squirrel carried by a Swiss German girl (more about her in a minute) and Rocky the frog carried by a man that I pretty much would NEVER assume would carry a large stuffed animal in his pack :). 

Back to the Swiss German Girl with her free loading squirrel.

She was running with her boyfriend, but he wasn't as fast as her, so she would run ahead of him until she got near a checkpoint. Then she would run back to meet him, so that they could check in together. So she gets the award for having ran the most miles! Every morning when we would see her running backwards we would think, GREAT, there's an Aid Station coming up!! 

Cheers to a job well done for both of them!

We did see some pretty cool views out there today too!

Our last 4 or so miles were all on a flat ground...which I wasn't such a fan of as it really bothered the Hamstring. However, my awesome partner Carlos kept me going those last few miles...which will be a theme in this race!

Billy taking  a break. It's hard work  riding in a Nathan Pack. 

I adhered strictly to the 20 MPH ;)

The awesome tunnel we ran through 

After finishing our days run. 

Carlos and I sporting our amazing sponsor! 

Here are the stats for the day :)

Maybe it's just me, but it looks like there is a more direct route to the end. 

I knew that last bit wasn't FLAT!!! 

At the end of the day Carlos delivered the good news that we had come in 8th place. Which I thought was fabulous, until I discovered there were only 11 teams in our category! lol.

Since our race ended in the middle of nowhere (literally), I had the pleasure of taking my first (AND ONLY) shower in the mobile shower. In all honesty it was actually pretty nice.

In addition to the mobile shower there was tent nation. 

I just couldn't bring myself to sleep in a tent. Luckily Carlos was a good sport (or on the same page as me) and so we opted for car camping.. Yes, it's a step up from sleeping on the ground. I actually had my Pottery Barn duvet, European Shams, & blankets with me...not suitable for a tent. Not my best nights sleep, but acceptable. Here's to Stage 2: Hope Pass!

 XOXO,

Moderngypsygirl.

Stage O...Trans Rockies Run

First, I must say that I have the best Bosses ever!! I mean how many people can say to their boss on a Thursday afternoon..."Oh, by the way, I know I just took a week off work for my last race (less than 2 weeks ago), but I'm going to need to take another week off starting.....uhm, Monday ;)". I have a zillion other reasons my bosses are great, but that is for another post...and I really don't want to brag too much because I'm afraid if I do there will be a line of people with resume's outside my office who can perform my job better than me!

While I was at work, a great box from Nathan Arrived!! Check out our awesome packs! I feel so lucky and blessed!

Nathan Hooked us UP!! 

So, I'm guessing this is how the "other half" lives :) #feelingspecial 

So after a quick meeting on Monday, Carlos and I packed up the car and head to Buena Vista where the start of the Trans Rockies Run will begin.

We had NO idea where we would be staying that night (because all the accommodation in Buen-ie (as it's called by locals) is taken)!

When we arrived in Buen-ie we did a quick check in (and probably scared some locals with our Buffs!)

This is our "baKlava" YUM! also know as Balaclava

A normal one for Nathan ;) 

 Lucky for us James said that some friends of his had rented a house and they had some extra space! The house was BEAUTIFUL and happened to be right at the start of the race! It was a lucky coincidence. Thank you Ken and Carrie for letting us crash your awesome pad!!

Our beautiful Accommodation

Cute little street where the race started. 

Our Race Strategy

When we arrived the "boys" James Bonnett and teammate Brian Tinder, and Rob Krar were all out going for a run. I'm guessing this may be a reason why they are such amazing runners. I however, chose to wait and run my warm up and cool down as a part of the 24 mile run we will be embarking upon on Stage 1!

We did our first nightly briefing (which I should always pay closer attention to!)

Afterwards we headed back to the house, had dinner, packed out duffle bags for the week, and then I took a bath! I Love Love Love taking baths, so, it's kind of like the "last supper" for me, as I don't know when I will have another opportunity...

Stay tuned for Stage 1!

  XOXO,

Moderngypsygirl.