3 Sisters 7 Days

The last few months have been quite frustrating. I have not been completely satisfied with my work and I have been looking for new ways to bring in different streams of income without committing myself to one full time job. I have this weird phobia of walking into an office/cube everyday at the same time and only given two weeks of vacation a year.

As I have been reviewing my life and trying to come to terms with where I am right now, I have realized how lucky I really am. I get to spend time with my family when they visit; I get to snowboard for free during the week, and run in  beautiful weather at 10am on a Tuesday. I get to shop with no crowds, and I can usually enjoy coffee in a real mug and drink it in peace. Let’s not forget the great deals- since starting REI last year, I have grown my wardrobe immensely. There is no way I could have paid full price for some of the items I have accumulated, or the camping equipment I have gotten- I even got a free pair of cross country ski’s!

I do have  a trade off- I find myself working on the weekends, some nights, dealing with customers in a retail environment, and not having a great paycheck.  The very worse part of the whole gig is the time clock. I don’t do well with getting to a destination at a certain time and actually punching a clock; that whole process goes against everything I believe in.  But I do get over it once I am climbing a mountain mid week and not in the office…

Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to moving on from REI. I want to branch off and do something I absolutely love! The problem is that I don’t know what that is exactly.  I can continue the way I have been for the last few months- stressed beyond belief, in denial that I actually work in retail, pissed at the low pay check (I am getting paid less than when I was in college), tired from constantly looking for new gigs, and unsatisfied with my professional life. Or, I can embrace the position I am in; enjoy the free time I have, be grateful that I can pay our health insurance, be thankful that I get great deals for myself and family, take advantage of having lots of vacation time to go back home to CA and participate in marathons…

So, until I figure out what my next move is, I think I will just think positive and enjoy where I am right now.

I have a feeling, there will be good things to come.

Yesterday I had a fantastic time snowboarding at Monarch Mountain, CO.  It is  a great mountain to ski or snowboard on, especially since it’s the most ffordable lift ticket in CO.  Some resorts are reaching the $100 mark for one all day lift ticket in CO…I just can’t imagine or justify paying that price for a few hours on the slopes, not to mention the crowds. One of the perks for working at REI this winter is that I get free lift tickets to Monarch Mountain and yesterday was the first day I took advantage of the deal.

Okay, I realized yesterday (thanks to the 21 year old fellow snowboarder) that I am a little dated in the sport.  I didn’t know the key word for a snowboard, boots, and bindings is “deck”. Umm, there is a “lift” I can get to extend my board to accommodate my new boots. I guess the boots have gotten bigger, and since I have an older, “vintage” board, the new boots and older board don’t match.

And this is just the equipment, don’t let me get started on the new lingo…Pow-Pow (powder), shredding the Gnar, and my favorite of the day. “word.” Seriously, every time someone said something/anything, this “kid” would respond with “word.” I guess it’s a gesture of acknowledgement and agreement.  And then there are the infamous “pot shacks.” I had such a blank stare when I first heard that word: “pot shack” To my knowledge, these “riders” find abandoned cabins on the slopes and smoke pot, and they are on almost every mountain.  That doesn’t even cross my mind, I mean it’s all I can do to get off the chair lift in one piece, let alone put any type of substance in my body.

Check this website out http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com/snowboarddictionary.asp so the next time you grab your deck to shred the gnar you will fit in like a wallflower…word.

Side-note: I did push myself yesterday. I hiked with board in hand for about 20 minutes up a mountain, only to ride down a huge drop…it was close to a 90 degree angle and all powder…it was great!

We are working on day EIGHT of a very cold and frigid December.  No kidding. This morning I woke up to -10 degree weather!

The other day, REI scheduled some of its employees to participate in a snowshoe demo day. It was really a way for us to know more about the “art” of snowshoeing and the gear involved for a successful snowshoeing day.  The date was chosen weeks ago, without knowing what the exact weather would be like.  Usually Colorado has up and down days, meaning we can be in 20 degree weather one day and 55 the next.  And almost always the sun is shining and, since we are so high in elevation ,we depend on the sun to warm us on the colder days.  Well, with this new “trend,” the sun has been scarce, leaving us with a cloud-covered sky and bitter cold air with wind.

Anyway, REI has this thing about doing outdoor activities no matter the weather…REI carries everything you need for any extreme condition for any outdoor sport.  Okay, I get that, but even though I work there and I outfit a lot of customers daily…I am a fair weather skier. I don’t enjoy being cold!

That morning, it was 6 degrees when we headed up the mountain.  Mind you that I was freaked out already about the snowshoeing demo day becasuse the temperatures have not been in my favor. Yes, I work at REI. No, I don’t have the appropriate gear to lead a successful day of snowshoeing in the freezing cold.  I ended up borrowing some insulated shoes, I got new radiant glove liners (they are supposed to be the best), I purchased some hand and toe warmers, I wore Maz’s long johns (I seem to have lost mine) under my snowboarding pants and my running fleece under a Taku jacket.  Okay, I had done everything people have told me to do, from head to toe with minor improvising.  I was ready to go – apprehensive, but ready to go.

We were almost there so I got ready by introducing oxygen to the hand and toe warmers (I guess that’s supposed to help). Then I placed them in my gloves and boots accordingly.  Just to let you know, in addition to the insulated boots, I was wearing wool socks which should have kept my feet toasty.  I was also wearing my snowboarding gloves with a radiant liner to secure the heat from the hand warmer.

I was getting warmed up to the idea of getting a cardio workout that would send blood flowing throughout my body, especially to the much needed extremities.

So, once the snowshoes were on and I’d figured out the dynamics of the poles, we set out…straight up.  Yes, this should have brought feeling back to the hands. I heard people huffing and puffing, walking in foot deep snow, and I saw people taking jackets off. As I was climbing the hill, I kept waiting … waiting for a huff or a puff, an elevated heart rate, and, most of all, blood flow to my fingers. Nothing happened.

“Okay, I need more time,” I thought. We’ll keep going up hill and eventually everything will work out.”

Umm, maybe in a perfect world.  Remember this is a demo day clinic so the “leaders” needed to educate us on the equipment and I guess they couldn’t do that while we were moving. Yup, we stopped. In the snow. The blood that was reaching for my fingers and toes stopped.  I started to cry. Seriously, the pain in my fingers was probably one of the worst pains I have ever experienced. I borrowed gloves from a co-worker (size XL in Men’s) that seemed to work a bit. I had volunteers rubbing my hands to help with the circulation. I knew what people were thinking…”Lets not invite her next time.” And I knew what I was thinking “I don’t want to do this again.”

The day continued. No blood in fingers or toes. We went up and down, up and down,e with plenty of stops to educate. Let’s not forget the hour long avalanche lecture…I don’t rememeber a thing, I was a bit more concerned with saving my fingers and toes. I looked around and notice that others were really interested in this, and they didn’t seem to be bothered by the teen temperatures and snow covering our feet.

Okay, it’s official, I am a baby…but, I am okay with that.

Finally the day was over and I couldn’t wait to get back home. Don’t get me wrong I do love the outdoors, and I spend majority of my time outside, but I draw the line when it comes to frigid temperatures and the lack of feeling in some important parts of my body.

Later, at home, I did some research on my day – looking up “cold fingers and toes.”  Well, there seems to be a diagnosis for body’s reaction to cold; it’s called Raynaud’s disease. It’s a blood vessel issue and it occurs in 3-5% of the population.  Your toes and fingers turn white with any drop in temperature from grabbing something from the freezer to spending the day at a snowshoeing clinic with a bunch of outdoor enthusiasts that get a high by confronting extreme conditions.  So, problem solved.

The strangest thing happened to me last night while working in the Footwear department at REI.  I do get a lot of inquiries about employment at REI, probably because we all seem happy to be there and we are energetic and love to talk about the outdoors. And I am thinking the AMAZING discount isn’t anything to laugh at…it is well worth the price to be happy and joyful at a retail establishment – working odd hours and, let’s not forget, working Saturday and Sunday most weeks…

So, this older man was buying a pair of Keens for his casual shoe and he was asking about employment. I could definitely tell he had paid his dues at some large corporation by his aging gray hair. He is thinking of retiring in January after the big bonus and though it would be fun to work at REI, leaving him time to golf during the day.  I told him I know exactly what he meant…get rid of the 9-5 office job and get something new and refreshing so you can enjoy your days you worked so hard for. Huh? That’s a concept. And it got me thinking.

I retired after two years of an office/cube job for bigger and better things (still waiting). I wanted to enjoy my days and be able to hike and run in the afternoons if I wanted to. I didn’t want some company telling me when I can take a vacation or when I can’t leave early on a beautiful day… I work at REI for those reason, but do you think I missed the boat? Do I need to work 30 years for a company and have retirement funds and bonuses to enjoy my afternoons and mornings?  Hmm…

Warning: This post may be TMI* for the average guy.

*Too Much Information.

For the record, MY breasts DO bounce!

My own sisters recently had the nerve to suggest that I no longer need to worry about top-notch support in my running bra because my faithfully “restored” breasts (seriously, once I’d weaned my youngest daughter, I wore my wedding bra to see my surgeon and simply asked him to “put it back”) do not bounce. They are wrong.

We all – even the smallest busted among us – know that the typical “athletic tank with shelf bra” does not provide enough support for high impact sports like running, and duly save these for yoga and climbing. But I really thought that Skirt Sports Marathon Tank, which claims to provide women “of A-D cup sizes with the freedom to run in a tank without a bra underneath” would prove to be THE exception. Unfortunately, it was not.

Yes, I, who NEVER runs in a new sports bra without testing it on a dash or two up and down the stairs, actually put my new Marathon Tank on and set off on a 6+ mile run. I guess I counted overmuch on the influence of triathlete Nicole DeBoom, who founded Skirt Sports, to ensure a bounce-free run.

The first mile or so – warm up – wasn’t too bad, but once I picked up the pace, oh boy! It was worse than ANY of my initial postpartum runs. Uncomfortable and, ultimately, painful.  I managed to complete my run at a considerably slowed pace, punctuated by repeated tugging at the back of the shelf bra. By pulling it as far down my back as possible, I could create more compression in front for a limited period of time.

On the off chance, that my experience is unusual, I did a little research. While there’s virtually nothing on the specific question of whether or not restored, reconstructed, or surgically enlarged breasts bounce, there is some useful information about "exercising with breast implants". In short, women with breast implants require the same, if not more, support than any other woman with the same size breasts.

Boopster at ShapeFit.com recommends a “supportive sports bra,” essentially for comfort.  And 34DD, bounce-free at PEERtrainer urges readers to check out the selection of “serious sports bras for larger-chested women” at Title 9.

Fiona Bra by Moving Comfo

I couldn’t agree more. In fact, check out the Fiona Bra by Moving Comfort, available at Title 9 and REI, among other women’s athletic apparel retailers. The Fiona bra was my favorite, until I discovered Victoria’s Secret’s line of VSX Sport bras.

It has been extremely hard these past few weeks walking out of REI (my newest place of employment) without a new item in hand. It’s just crazy being around all the cute things in that store! It doesn’t help that I work in the footwear and clothing sections of REI. I can find a use for just about anything. So far, I have convinced myself and Maz that I need a rain jacket to run in and a new pair of running shoes and now a new flip flops.

Okay, I admit, I am new to the whole Chaco phenomenom, but these shoes are great! They may look a little odd at first, second or even third glance, but the construction of the shoe is amazing.  These sandals have all the support you need; you can wear them all day and not feel pain. 

Chaco makes many different styles, I believe the most familiar is the sandal that isolates" the toe .  Since I come from a family with enormous toes, I believe my toe gets enough “isolation” as it is, so I opted for the cute flip flop approach. Finding a comfortable flip flop has been a goal of mine for at least six weeks now.  I have worn anything from the cheap $5 shower shoe to Reefs and Teva’s.  So far I have enjoyed the Reef the best, but there is no spunk in the Reef.

Anyway, I have been spending quite a lot of time in the shoe department at REI and I fell in love with the Hipthong Garden Chaco in Red. 

Now, what happens when I really like something is that I start visualizing myself wearing it onall different occasions. I can wear the Chaco flip flops to work; I can wear them to take Sammy walking; I can do a short hike in them I can wash the car and garden in them; AND I can wear them on the plane to CA this Friday. But best of all, I can wear them after my 26.2 mile Marathon this weekend. Man, I couldn’t come up with another shoe to do the “after marathon” job as well as this Chaco could.  With all reasons above and wanting them for a few weeks, I felt justified purchasing them, so I did .

I have yet to wear them because I’m sure Maz wouldn’t approve of this purchase (he keeps telling me everything I need is in the garage – the Honda Pilot) so they have been nestled under the bed for now.  Maz leaves for Las Vegas on Wednesday, so maybe then I can indulge in my great find.

I have had many opportunities come my way since September (leaving my full time gig as an Account Executive at a local radio station). I have been a brand ambassador for Quiznos, marketer for a small stucco company and a “Practice Representative” (PR) for two chiropractors.  None of the above has I felt completely fulfilled or actually “enjoyed” doing the work.  Okay, the stucco company definitely appreciated my great work more than the others.

I am now breaking into a line of work I thought I was done with…Retail. I have accepted a position with REI, a job I have kind of wanted since October.  I have done some thinking about my interests and about different companies and came up with REI as a suitable match. Let’s see, I love clothes, the outdoors and shoes- working in the clothing and shoe department should be a walk in the park.  I have also heard fantastic things about the way REI runs its business.  I hear they treat their employees fair and offer a great discount (I am really excited about that).  I am also finding that the employees at REI generally hold a higher degree in education and, like me, broke out of the “cube” world…

It’s crazy because though I am happy for this opportunity, I have to admit I am a bit taken back.  I keep remembering that I am now in retail- that means nights and weekend not to mention I have to start wearing a green smock/vest.  Who knows? This may be the job for me.  I do like talking to people, I believe I have the ability to sell and I love the outdoors.   I don’t start the training until mid April so I am stuck in “chiro world” for at least another six weeks.  I think I can make it, if not I have some more time off…

So, today I woke up and it was snowing.  The season just started and yet I am already over it. 

I spent all day yesterday freezing. No matter what I did my hands never warmed up – I think I have the disease my mom and sister have, Reynaud’s Syndrom, which makes your hands turn white and lose feeling…yeah, it’s great .  I did leave the house for just a bit.  I had to run into REI (return a “turtle” that was too big), Vitamin Cottage (Ebony’s dog food), and the dentist (I guess I had a filling fall out).  At each stop, people commented on my wardrobe, namely my lack of jacket. 

I just hate wearing jackets! I feel so confined. No one wants to drive in a jacket. I had on my cloud jeans (CAbi) along with the perfect color green sweater (also CAbi) and my oldest and dearest Uggs.  I really thought I would be fine once I was in a warm car.  Surprise to me, that warm car thing never really happened. Okay, it was about 22 degrees outside with a bit of wind chill.  Anyway, it was a dreadfully cold day…

Today isn’t getting any better.  The snow started about 6 am and is still going strong. I did manage to get Sammy out for a quick walk and run around the park.  Thankfully, there was another “nut” out there with his dog so Sammy was able to play a bit.  It was about 8 degrees with the wind chill. My morning master plan in cold weather is for me to get out of the house as soon as day breaks-before my mind is fully alert-so I don’t actually realize how cold it is and how insane I am. 

Talk about layers. I was okay on the bottom. I was wearing my Nike cold weather running pants and they are amazingly warm.  On top was another story. I was wearing a super thick long sleeve running top (Jeanna knows the one), a thick bright orange vest, and a snowboarding jacket. I added the vest on the basis of yesterday’s morning venture. Much improvement. By the time I returned, my hands still had a bit of feeling in them, though I couldn’t feel my mouth, chin or nose. 

I am already looking forward to the weekend- 40’s and 50’s in the forecast! Yay…

Now, if you excuse me I’m going to go shovel the driveway

I honestly don’t know what my next move will be.

I quit my “real job” a few weeks ago due to a lack of interest and horrible management, which I’ve found leads to a horrible company.  Sales isn’t always a bad thing, but I learned that one must have an interest in the product and MUST have support within the cube to be successful.

I have had a few interviews and one offer.  The one offer was from REI, the one place I actually would like to work even though it is considered retail.  I had to defer the offer until March because I am unable to attend the mandatory training at the end of October because I will be on a cruise to Mexico with two of my sisters, my Dad, my Dad’s girlfriend, two of my nephews and a niece. 

It was crazy how it happened.

REI only hires twice a year, in September and then again in March.  It becomes more of a “hiring fair” to which everyone who has interest in a job with REI shows up on an assigned day to submit an application and have a first interview.  I was amazed at the turnout. I was told that 115 people applied for 15 open positions.  I have a few theories of why there was such a huge turnout: (1) the job market stinks right now; (2) REI really is a great place to work; and (3) I think people believe a job at REI will be easier than it is.

The third reason came to me when I was watching the applicants arrive.  I really thought some of them just walked off the mountain.  All I saw were jeans and sandals.  There were even a few stragglers wearing shorts and sandals with a beanie.  I believe I was the only girl in a skirt; I dressed for an interview! (Note: this my quick insight on the unemployed in Colorado Springs.) 

So I made it through the original interview. It was quick and painless- general questions to prove you have the personality for them.  The second interview was a few days later and that one was a bit more in depth. It included customer service questions because they had to make sure I like the outdoors AND can sell.  Of course, I can sell, especially women’s clothing and shoes.

About a week after the second interview, I received the call that REI wanted to hire me. I was really hoping REI would work with me on the mandatory training…unfortunately, they were unable to do so.  The best they could do was to ask me to come back in March, when I’ll – in effect – be certain of that second interview and, I hope, get another offer.

For now, I just can’t pass up an opportunity to spend valuable time with my family. I’m sorry to pass  up this opportunity with REI, but feel confident that another job opportunity will come. And, if not, I wil havet to make due until March. 

While a soccer mom is, literally, a woman with children who play soccer, in contemporary pop culture, the term has taken on a negative association with often over-bearing, predominantly stay-at-home, mothers shuffling their children to any number of sporting events and other activities in SUVs or – worse yet – minvans, all the while consumed by cell phone conversations. It’s horrifying to think how dangerously close I came to embodying this North American cultural stereotype.

This time last year, I logged an average 4.5 hours each week day between 3:00 and 8:00 PM carting my precious progeny to and from soccer practice, music lessons, dance class, and/or Scouts in my jam-packed min-SUV, a Toyota RAV4. If not for my cell phone, I would have fallen further behind at work, lost touch with friends and family, and been wholly unable to keep track of my children, every one of which was left more often than not at a field or in a class with only a dated cell phone with limited minutes – ostensibly to reach me in an emergency – while I carted one or more of the others elsewhere.

Road weary, suffering from frequent migraines, and altogether exhausted by late spring, I screamed, “ENOUGH!” just days before sign ups for this fall’s soccer season. I made an executive decision to PASS on early registration for soccer. I pulled the kids out of drum and guitar lessons located a full four busy off-ramps, if only a few miles, away from home. And explained to the girls that we were taking the summer OFF from dance (with the exception of one week of dance camp for Miss Olivia). Scouts (Boy, Girl, and Cub) were winding down by then, with just camp for the boys on the calendar until September, so I let that activity alone.

Because my children are home-schooled or enrolled in home-study programs at least part time, I was not in a position simply to let sports, music, and other extracurricular activities “go” entirely. I am, after all, responsible for their physical and arts education as well as for their general integration into community life. So we’ve emphasized swimming (at the community pool) and bicycling (everyone has a bike and we have a “wagon” to pull Olivia, who can’t quite keep up yet) and taken up rock-climbing (at a gym located just minutes from my campus). Everyone has piano lessons (at our home), though they are encouraged to teach themselves guitar, recorder, and drums (all instruments available HERE). Scouting is now the only wholly extracurricular activity we are committed to, and only one of my children needs a ride! (Two others meet within walking distance.) We belong to the Discovery Science Center and the Bower’s Museum in Orange County and have season tickets to the theater.

The upshot of this change in our family’s portfolio of activities is that there is only ONE event scheduled on a regular, weekly basis – Quentin’s Boy Scout meeting on Wednesday evenings. I am considering enrolling Olivia in dance class during the same time frame. Other than that, life radiates a very limited distance from our home or from my campus and on flexible schedules that meet my children’s changing needs for study time, down time, and physical activity as well as my need for sustained peace and quiet to write.

Saturday this past weekend - notably sans soccer - was fairly typical. Going into the holiday weekend, Quentin had a couple of online assignments to complete and submit by Tuesday morning (a biology activity and reading response log), Reiley wanted to finish a powerpoint presentation on the Anasazi, Parker owed me a journal entry on Caesar and Cleopatra, and I had two articles to revise. In addition, almost everyone needed to do laundry (everyone ten and older is responsible for washing his or her own clothing and the younger ones have to help sort theirs), the lawn needed to be mowed, and the house needed vacuuming.

I worked late on Friday, so my spouse had the kids up and “at” their assigned chores before I came down for breakfast. Afterward, we all headed to the rock-climbing gym, where we spent over two hours climbing – even Olivia – who traversed a short section of the “kid wall” while Parker climbed what we fondly refer to as a “P.3″ course. (Courses are rated in terms of difficulty from 5.5 up; at our gym, there is a special 5.3 course for children, which we have designated as “Parker’s” or P.3.)

We had lunch – at Rubios near the gym – before running errands, including shopping for shorts for Quentin (less than 20 minutes at the Quicksilver Factory Store), picking up a music stand and a beginner’s book for the recorder (on a trip through Sam Ash, complete with stops to play drums, guitar, and keyboard), and checking out the Labor Day sale at REI before stopping at Target to pick up a prescription. Then we were off – home for showers, dinner, dog walk, and a family movie, “Nim’s Island,” which I have to admit turned out to be much better than I’d anticipated.

In addition to a total of 14 hours of quality family time that involved less than an hour driving in a loose loop created out of the 91, 215, 60, and 15 freeways, the kids scored three days worth of PE, a little musical performance, and a couple hours of “life skills.” In contrast, on a given Saturday a year ago, we would have made at least two round trips to the soccer fields (an hour and 20 minutes total, if we were lucky), spent six or more hours at the field – often as not “chasing” Olivia rather than watching any one child’s game – endured sunburns and headaches, and returned to a messy house, hungry dogs, and little energy available to deal with the ensuing chaos. No wonder even the kids seem relieved that I am no longer a soccer mom.