Two Ears One Mouth

Please blame the Marathon Monster for the delay between posts. My life is work, run, eat, sleep not necessarily in that order... We had a 4 a.m. wake up call to get to Cusco. We met in the lobby at 4:30 then headed to the airport where we faced another round of extensive security checks including leaving our shoes on and carrying outside liquids onto the flight. This was also the first time I figured out how to use my calling card so I was able to leave The Colonel a little message before we hopped the flight. I'd been keeping up with my family via Facebook messages when I had wifi but this was the first opportunity I had to call...he didn't answer. The flight to Cusco wasn't too bad and the coolest part was that the mountains were literally higher than the clouds! I always knew I was fond of mountains but it wasn't until I was literally in the Andes that I realized my true love for them. My dream is to now live somewhere with a mountain view. The Andes a...

Day two in Lima was also our last day in Lima. Still cloudy but no rain really and for that we were grateful. We did a lot more walking and saw all kinds of cool sites like Huaca Pucllana which are clay and adobe (maybe?) remains of pre-Inca/Lima culture. Apparently the story goes that over time the structures broke down and crumbled over themselves creating a big mound that for years people thought was just a mountain. The city of Lima built up around it until one day someone decided to start digging and discovered this city. Cool stuff huh? As a faux anthropologist I definitely enjoyed checking the site out and was also reminded that I'm not an archaeologist who could sit in holes and actually dig this stuff out! After a fun day climbing around the archaeological site and visiting a museum with a really sobering exhibit regarding the Peruvian revolution (which I'm bummed was entirely in Spanish) we headed back to the hotel to get changed for the Magic Water Park! W...

Buenos Dias Amigos! Welcome to the first installment of Vegetarian in Peru: A Love Story. I don't know how to explain my love for Peru and more so, Cusco. But we didn't start that way. First, we met. Our flight was at noon-ish from Louisville to Atlanta and was largely uneventful. Actually, all of the travel in the states was uneventful including the flight from Atlanta to Lima. It takes about 6 1/2 hours to get there and surprisingly it really wasn't all that bad. There's something about the size of international flights that makes me feel more comfortable. It shouldn't make sense that an enormous plane would float magically through the air easier than a smaller plane but to me it does. It's the same way I (used to) feel safer on big cruise ships than on tiny row boats. But I digress. I slept a little on the plane but also watched The Hangover Part 2 (eh) and Side Effects (crazy!!!). There were no crying babies, snoring adults or serious turbulence so the fli...

Did I mention that I've been in Peru for the past 2 weeks? I'm sure I mentioned it but in my haste to ship out I neglected to say a proper goodbye! Forgive me! Also, stay tuned for the 6-10 part series Vegetarian in Peru: A Love Story where I will captivate you all with numerous tales of my travels. In contrast to my usual posts, I think this series might actually be interesting! South America is amazing and it was truly a life changing experience. Part One is scheduled for this week so make sure to be on the lookout! Here's a 5 word preview of what's to come: Riots, Lima, Spanglish, Hanger, Traffic. Intrigued? You should be :)

Hey friends. I've been in a bit of a dark place lately and that makes it hard to blog. In fact I've written 2 depressing and dramatic posts which I decided to sit on and see if they were still worth posting after the dust settled. They were not. So I apologize for the break BUT there will be yet another break coming up because in 6 days I'm headed to Peru! The Marathon Monster is in full effect and as part of my wishful thinking my running shoes are coming along from the ride. Regardless I will be getting some work in as we hike Macchu Picchu and I run around the Andes but how many people get to say they went for a run in Peru around ancient Native American ruins? I plan to be one of the few. Packing for South America is crazy by the way. Especially since it is now winter there, I don't speak Spanish or any dialect to be able to purchase what I forget, oh and because its South America! But I'm really excited about it today. There will be a lot to figure out and sett...

Who is up for a two-fer! We've got a two in one today because I've obviously been slacking on the blog front and apparently there's a lot to talk about. So let's get started shall we? Part One: A Proposal Story I hear it's customary in our society to blog about your proposal if you're a blogger who happens to get engaged. So as not to be ousted from the community here you go.  The Colonel knows me pretty well so he didn't bother with a lot of pomp and circumstance. I'd always told him I didn't even want a proposal. No fancy dinner, down on one knee, heartfelt awkward speech or any event/activity that cost too much money, involved other people or embarrassed me. At least I'm not specific right? I'm not much of a romantic. I'm so glad that he didn't get caught up in what he  thought  he was  supposed  to do and just made it real. Two Saturdays ago  I had been at work all morning and came home hot, hungry, tired and incredibly grumpy...

Hey friends! Im joining you from my borrowed iPad this evening! There is a resident at work who gets to use one in dialysis and insists on calling it an I-p-a-d saying each letter instead of by its Apple approved name. It is adorable. Since I typically try to keep things positive here in the vile I haven't been blogging much because I haven't been feeling particularly positive. Aside from the engagement not many good things have been happening so since I had almost nothing nice to say I took the oath of silence. If you aren't a close friend of mine who has had to hear my cries you should thank me. In the interest of positivity, here are 10 positive things I can think of right now: 1. Today was my day off and it was spent almost entirely on the couch. 2. I have jobs to have occasional days off from. 3. I'm still engaged and my ring is still pretty. 4. I'm already within 7 pounds of my end of summer weight loss goal. 5. I have a meeting with my top wedding...