The Race Ain't Gonna Run Itself

This year, my new year's resolution is really an extension of my "move to Hawaii" resolution, and that is, to work out. Not a lot, but some. I was really motivated when I first moved here because A) I was unemployed and 2) I had just downloaded some really good workout songs. But then I got a job and totally quit going to the gym. And then one super early morning on my way to work, my bus route took a serious detour to accommodate the Honolulu Marathon and I thought, whoa, these folks are seriously dedicated to their running. I was mostly annoyed that I had no idea where my bus was going, but I was a teensy bit jealous.

A few weeks ago, Katie got inspired to sign up for the Great Aloha Run -- an eight-mile affair. I laughed, but upon her urging, starting looking for races to that seemed a little more within reach. Like a 1K. But most 1Ks are for kids 10 and under. I did, however, find a biathlon, a run/swim, which seems totally do-able. And hey, if Peyton Manning, arguably the most unathletic yet highly accomplished athlete on the planet, can run for 38 yards, surely I can run a 5K. Well, run/walk a 5K.

And, a huge perk to "training" is buying really comfy exercise pants. I really love wearing comfy exercise pants. Also, it's really helping that I don't live a half-mile away from Dunkin Donuts and Chick-Fil-A. Although, if I'm being completely honest, I still crave a #1 with no pickle and a Coke every once in a while.

February 13th is going to be here before I know it. Now, all I have to do is brave the Hawaiian winter so I can do my outdoor swim training and all will be well.

P.S. Aren't you just a teensy bit jealous that I live somewhere where one can actually run a race and do an open water swim in the middle of February?

All I'm Missing is a Fanny-Pack

While my dearest friends and loved ones have been freezing their bums off back on the mainland, I've been doing my best to take advantage of the sunny days here on Oahu. After a pretty rainy December, I trekked to the beach the last couple of days to freshen up my tan. By the way, a teensy amount of jealousy is expected.

There was a jellyfish warning around the island, so our trip to the North Shore Thursday didn't involve any swimming. In fact, we never even took our swimsuit cover-ups off. The sun was shining and the waves were crashing, but it was a little bit on the chilly side. Chilly, mind you, in the loosest sense of the word. But, the kids had fun playing in the sand and we watched a riveting sand volleyball match. After shaking the sand out of our hair and lady parts, we went to a yummy seafood/Mexican restaurant called Luibuenos. So delish!

On our way home, we took a left turn into the Dole Plantation because Katie really wanted a t-shirt. Our t-shirt stop turned into a pretty big excursion. Next thing I know, we're waiting in line for the Pineapple Express, a train that tours the pineapple fields. The kids were so excited to ride on the train, even though it meant postponing naptime. We learned about all things pineapple and were treated to the musical stylings of Manoa DNA, a local group. All I really wanted from the trip to the plantation was a waffle cone of pineapple froyo, but the line seemed to weave off into the distance and we didn't have the time to wait. I left, a little disheartened, but overall it was a fun little adventure.

On NYE, instead of the traditional hydration rituals that most people partake in prior to binge alcohol consumption, I packed my beach bag and rode the bus to Waikiki. After hitting up Starbucks for a (discounted!) venti iced caramel latte, I found a spot next to the hotel with the best music blasting from its poolside bar and laid down my towel, content to spend a few hours listening to my ipod on shuffle and digging my toes in the sand. The beach was quite crowded, the holiday tourists not yet departed from the island, but it was fun. It might sound mean, but perhaps the best part of my day was watching the tourists take surf lessons. Just when you think they're gonna stand, a tiny white-water wave knocks 'em over. Hehe...

2010 Ends The Same as 2009 -- Early

While I was laying on the beach yesterday, New Year's Eve, I thought back to a decade of New Year's Eve celebrations. I'm going to flat-out say that I think NYE is the lamest holiday ever. Katie and I seem to have a really, really terrible track record with NYE celebrations, dating back to 98-99. I feel the need to justify my hatred of the holiday, so I'm going to recap a decade of lameness in none other than a list. A Top 10 list of crappy, hyped-up nights that turn out to be epic letdowns.

Turning to 99: Pretty sure that's the year Katie got stood up. Sorry to bring up bad memories, but that's really when it all started to suck for me. For us, really, because my bestie's a recurring character in many of these stories.

Y2K: Let's just say my mom and her friends decided it would be a great idea to host a dance (they were thinking along the lines of prom, but it turned out to be more like 12 people swaying while we rolled eyes at our mothers and were totally embarrassed that we had to be there). Pretty sure the highlight of that night was...wait, there were no highlights from that night. Other than mocking the entire night with Katie.

2001: Utterly forgettable. Not totally forgettable, actually. We went to see Castaway as a family and then I spent the evening with "The One That Got Away." (Katie's older brother, Matt, who I happened to be dating at the time)

2002: Katie and I tried to get a hotel room so we could ring in the new year drinking alone. It was a good idea in theory, but we weren't old enough to get a hotel room, and we definitely weren't old enough to drink. I think there was bribery involved with my mom or her mom or something. Pretty sure we wound up drinking in the living room and commiserating about the crappiness of the night.

2003: Really, seriously, forgettable. And, since Katie's sitting right here, I asked her what we did. Her response? "We probably had a slumber party at your mom's house. We probably had a few drinks and slept on the couch and the following morning, I probably got in my car and went home."

2004: I got my wisdom teeth out on Dec. 30 and my memories are pretty sketchy. I remember Katie and Garry stopped by to say "hi" and that was it.

2005: You would think that our first NYE as 21-year-olds would have been really exciting, but it wasn't. Katie and I road-tripped to Nashville to party with Jackie and Brother and the actual NYE is a total blank. The only thing I remember from that trip is Jackie sending us out for eggs and it taking so long that Katie and I had to stop at Sbarro a block away from their apartment to buy a small snack. And by small snack, I mean we each ate an entire slice of pizza.

2006: Probably the best NYE of the decade. I rang it in with my college besties in Chicago at Howl at the Moon. We got gussied up and braved the cold and slutty girls in tube tops to have a great time. And we did, if you can forget the girl vomiting in the corner all night. In fact, so much fun was had that we overslept and I almost missed my train back to M.C.

2007: Laurie, my oldest college roommate, came to the Twin Cities with me. It was a disaster. There was a blizzard and it was Sunday so we couldn't even buy alcohol. We wound up at the Part Tavern with a pathetic looking bunch of folks.

2008: Party at Laura's! I remember I wore a really cute red turtleneck. And there was Nintendo playing. I remember little else.

2009: Jackie, Brother and I painted Liam's nursery. And went to bed before 10pm.

2010: I dropped Laura and Tess off at the airport and went home. And went to bed before 10pm.

2011: Katie and I played a rousing game of Would You Rather... and drank some Middle Sister wicked white wine with a mimosa chaser and went to bed before 10pm.

For me, NYE is totally lame. I don't wait for the ball drop or worry about sober drivers. I stay in and get comfy and don't worry what people think about my lameness. It's just another night.