Baby its Cold Outside

We Wish you a merry Christmas, We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and lots of full bellies from food.

We made it to Boise....but it was really scary. Both of the passes were covered in snow and ice. Raul was really careful but being an Arizona gal, I was about ready to freek out. I was so scared that after we were off the pass I broke down and cried....pretty much after both passes. Like I said, we maid it and were so happy to be out of the car. Neeka, Brian, Hendy, Tim and Mary were so happy to see Raul and I. We have been hooked on Rock Band and eating pretty much all week because we have been locked up from the SNOW! Here are some pictures of our holiday. Stay tunned for more of our winter trip. Funness! By the way our band name is Lipstick tube...Wilson gave us the inspiration.

I'm Still Alive

Alright!! Alright!! I have had requests from people back in California to update my blog. I don't really have any pictures to show but I will let you know how things are.

Moving to a different state is definitely a growing experience. I hope this move is the last one for a while. Things are slow and rainy but not unhappy. I love our house and neighborhood. I am still on the job hunt but I am putting positive energy towards a great job. I don't think I will hear about much until after the new year. I think that is just the way the world works. The holidays are right around the corner and I don't think people are really gung ho about hiring right now.

I am really looking forward to Christmas. We are going to Boise to be with Raul's family. This will be the first Christmas away from AZ. I feel like I have been so distant from there but hopefully when I am down for the Marathon I will reconnect. I do miss Pima a bit...just a bit though.

Raul and the dogs are good. Wilson gave me a scare yesterday. I went for a run and without thinking I left a package of raw chicken out. I was not surprised to find the wrapping all over the floor minus the chicken. Well it is not like Wilsie hasn't found food on the table before but he started acting really weird. Raw chicken is not something that sits well with your tummy. So of course he was fine but I was definitely worried for about 5 hours. I don't know what I would do without him.

Our house is really coming along. I will try to take some pictures soon of at least the living room. It is super cute.

Have a great week.

Lets make Memories

Just a few pictures of our wonderful happy day!

Traveling with Turkey on our Minds

The days have finaly come to an end in Long Beach. It has been so hectic with getting everything finalized and packed. I was so happy to pick Raul up at LAX on Monday night. The airport was crazy...it was crawling with holiday travelers. But we safely picked him up and headed for or last night in our little LB house. The next day the movers came and loaded all our life in the truck while Raul and I finished the last bit of cleaning. With one last stop to In and Out, Raul and I were headed on the 605 N at five o'clock LA traffic. It took us a lot longer to get out of LA and on to the 15 headed to surprise Raul's family for Thanksgiving. We got all the way to Mesquite, NV and stayed at the negative 5 star hotel called the Virgin River. Last time we stayed there I won $30 on Black Jack....but we got there late and had to get up early, no gambling for us. The next day (Wednesday) we were on our way to Rupert. It took us about 7 hours...the dogs were champs and Raul drove the whole way. I took a nap, sang some songs and told funny stories. We rolled into Rupert at about 4ish and surprised Mary and the rest of the bunch. It was so fun. The next morning me, Raul and a few of his cousins ran in the 5K turkey trott...where you can walk, run, wiggle, or waddle your way through the town. We had great food and lots of laughs for Thanksgiving and shared stories and memories for years to come. I had a blast and a full belly.

I made a Discovery

Last night my friend Myrna and I cleaned my house and I discovered how amazing Bleach is. I love it! It is the best thing for cleaning. I got a little carried away last night when I was cleaning the walls in the kitchen, the top of the fridge, the door, dog door, stove, corners of the floor. "Bleach, my new Best Friend." It worked so well and even though the smell is so strong, I like it because it is bleachin'clean. Thanks Myrna for all of your elbow grease. We are getting pretty close to moving day!

8 Things

Thanks Margo for the Tag!

8 Things...here we go, forgive me if I can't get to 8. If I get half I will be impressed.

8 Television shows I watch....
Grey's
The Office
Biggest Loser
90210
King of Queens
Wheel of Fortune
Today Show
Private Practice

8 Favorite Restaurants....
Macayos (AZ)
Chino Bandido (AZ)
PF Changs
Goody's (ID)
Olive Garden (ID)
Doc's Pizza (ID)
River's End (CA)

8 Books I've read recently....
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
A Walk to remember
The Secret Lives of Bees

8 Things that happened yesterday....
I went home sick
Went for a walk with Walle and Bernie (Wilson and Sugar's new names)
Ate lunch with Katie
Watched TV....Oprah,HGTV,News,Office,Father of the Bride II,Grey's.
Cleaned the kitchen
Laundry
Listen to Bernie (Wilson) snore
Made a really tasty salad

8 Things I am looking forward to....
Moving to Seattle
Moving into my new house
Seeing Raul
Cleaning Day
Mary's Party
Seeing Bolt with girls form work
Seeing my puppies when I get home
Eating lunch

8 Things I wish for....
Safe travels up to Seattle
Not to be sick anymore
To find a great job
People at work to find some light during this merge
A great holiday season
I will be able to finish the Marathon in January
Wilson to lose some weight
Raul to be here

8 People I'm tagging...
Kasey
Katie E
Katie H
Becky M
Kathay
Neeka
Melanie H
Mary

Mission Accomplished

Things are busy as normal around here. I went up to Seattle this weekend to find a place to rent. Raul had picked out a few places and we ended up picking a cute house less than 2 miles away from the University. It is in a really nice neighborhood. Three bedrooms, two baths, nice back yard, DISHWASHER, and a cute living room. I feel really good about our decision. This house hunting was difficult for me. I hate making decisions like this. I had it made last year because Raul had our placed picked out before I came out to Long Beach. So the pressure was on for me to make the final decision. Like I said, I feel good about it. We will really enjoy it and so will the dogs.

Raul was awesome this weekend. He had so many things planned and took such good care of me. Some of the stuff we did:
House hunted
Pike's Place Market -downtown where they throw the fish
Columbia Building-70+ stories high to see the city
Ate lunch at the Sleepless in Seattle place on the water
Went for a beautiful run along the water
UW Football game vs ASU
Romantic dinner at a Thai restaurant
Met some new friends
Had awesome complementary breakfast in the hotel every morning

The Internet was really slow and I wanted to post some pictures but they will just have to wait. So basically the mission was to find a place for us to live....Mission Accomplished!

Halloweenie

I wanted to post a few pictures of my halloween weekend. I had an event of Saturday and dressed up as Olivia Newton John on Saturday and Friday at work I was a tennis player. It was a lot of fun. I wish that Raul would have been there. My friend Mayra is going to kill me for posting this picture...Sorry hun. The othe pic is of my other co-worker Melissa helping me pack popcorn hands for the event.

I love Seattle

Raul and I drove up to Seattle this weekend. For Raul, it was his moving weekend and for me, it was a sit in the car, sing, tell funny jokes, and sight see weekend while keeping Raul company. The drive was AMAZING and I was so anxious to see what this place looked like in person. Along the way we spotted a lot of deer and beautiful trees. There was also a Moose head in the back of this guys pick up. So what do I do? I got the camera out and started taking pictures of it. It was pretty big as you can see. I thought of my friend Kasey when I saw all of the hunters driving down the road (She is a hunter). It was so nice to see "FALL". I love this season and I am so happy to be going to a place where the leaves turn lots of different colors. Raul and I talked to his parents a couple times along the way on his IPhone and we got to talk together with ear phones in. It was really neat. As we pulled up to the city, I was in awe. Everything was so immaculate. The water surrounding the city was like nothing I had ever seen before. The sky was blue and everything was so green. It is official, I love Seattle. I am so excited to move there and I know that it is going to be a great place for all of us.

Audra's List

I have this mental list of things that I want to do before I die and I think I try to point them out as much as possible but I would like to try something different. My friend Katie has a list on her refrigerator of all the things that she wants to do in the new place she lives in called of course "The List". I have had the privilege of helping her cross some of those things off. I am so honored to say that because it has almost become legendary in our conversations so I want to have an "Audra's List". I want to put a bunch of things that I want to do and see in Seattle. I have the typical points of interest such as the Space Needle, Ferry Boats and Pike Place. Does anyone have a cool and unique restaurant or park or suggestion that would be neat for me and Raul to see and visit?

We are Moving

I have some exciting news. Raul was offered the assistant track coach position at the University of Washington. So....We are Moving! The dogs and I will be staying here in Long Beach until the 1st of December. Raul is hoping to head out in about a week. I can't believe it all happened so fast. It is a big time PAC 10 school. I have never been to Seattle but it is something that I have on my list of things to do before I die. I will be sad to leave my life in Long Beach...sun for shade but I am really looking forward for the future. I have lots of high hopes for us there. I love new adventures. I'm sad that Raul will be gone but happy that it will only be about a month until I'm up there. I am really proud of him. He will be great up there. Go Huskies!

The Getty

A couple of weekends ago Raul, Kelly, John and I went to the Getty up in LA. This museum looks over the entire city and is full of really interesting and unique art. The coolest thing about it was that it was free....that is pretty hard to find around LA. They had some really neat exhibits like Bernini's sculptures. They were life like sculptures that were chiseled and carved out of marble. Seriously amazing. We couldn't take any pictures inside but take my word for it....Amazing and really old. It was my first time in a museum like that and so I was really overwhelmed with how old things were. The entire museum was built out of stone. It was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend going if you have the chance. The second picture of Raul and I...forehead kiss, is funny because we saw some people taking engagement pictures, Kelly said that it was really excessive, so we decided to take some of those. It was fun.

This is what I did at work today

Apple Heads

It was really simple.
Peal an apple and carve a little face on it. You can use anything to carve it because apples are pretty easy to mold. You are suppose to dip the apple in lemon juice after that. Then wait for it to shrink. This is a fun little project you can do at your house for Halloween. Just be careful when pealing.





Apple Head masterpiece

Marathon Training Update

Things have been coming along with the Marathon training. I feel like every day I get in better shape and the miles that I put in are becoming easier. My dad and I talk about 2x a week on how many miles that we have put in and how we are feeling. He has ran about 4 half marathons. I just found out last weekend that one of my best friends from Phx. is going to be running the half marathon. I am really excited for her. I have about 16 1/2 weeks left until the 26.2 miles gets me. It is something that I am really glad that I am pursuing. I like setting goals and working towards them like how I trained for Whitney. So I am still putting along and trying to get mentally tough.

Going Green

Go Green! This is something that I have not done very well. I was really never conscious about it. Since I have moved to California, I have noticed that all around me, people are going green. And now it is becoming a trend that is sweeping the nation. I have been trying to do better on going green. Every Sunday, Raul and I go to the farmer's market and the grocery store and instead of getting plastic bags we use reusable bags. I just got a really cute red canvas from Trader Joe's for my birthday. We have a recycle trash can but I have not been very good about recycling. Our house is really small and we have to put the regular trash on top of the dryer because our little Wilson loves garbage. That leaves no room for an extra trash can. I try on the weekends to get a paper bag out and put recyclables in it but that is the only time I recycle at home. Does anyone else have any go green suggestions? I just feel like I am not doing enough for the environment.

Ok So here we Go

I put my first entry in the Health Blog. So go check it out. It is really simple right now but it will get better as the days go by. Hope you like it!

http://audra-healthandhappiness.blogspot.com

Question for my blogging buddies

I've decided that I want to be a bigger impact in people's lives. I want to put together a blog site that is all about healthy lifestyle management. The blog would have information about weight loss, healthy eating, healthy recipes, exercises, core workouts, etc....I have all of this education and experience with health promotion and I want to put it to good use. So here is my question for you all....if I build it do you think it would be used or even viewed? I need some feedback.....

Fake Dodger Fans?

We have been pretty busy lately with work so Raul decided to get six tickets to watch the Dodgers play against Arizona. We invited a couple of the track coaches from Long Beach. I was really excited to go because I have become a Dodger fan. I use to really be a big D-Backs fan when I lived in AZ but since I haven't been an Arizona resident for the past 5 years my love for D-backs baseball has slowly deminished. My new favorite baseball team are the Dodgers....the funny thing is Katie calls us fake Dodger fans....seriously, we even have our authentic fan gear when we go. Lets go Dodgers!
Anyway, we had a great time with Corey, Melissa, Katie, and Patrick. We all packed up in the Avalanch like sardines and had a ball of a good time at Chavez Ravine. Thanks guys for putting up with us.
By the way, it was pretty funny when Manny Ramirez got up to bat...everyone cheered "Less, go Manny" there was a girl about six rows down who was saying the same thing but throwing her hands up like she was a rapper or a gangster. Now...that is the way Raul and I cheer..."Less go Manny."

This just sums me up huh?!

I belong in 1995!

You Belong in 1995

With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatyeardoyoubelonginquiz/">What Year Do You Belong In?

I did this little quiz on line. It is perfect. I had a great time in 1995....

City of Angels

This past Sunday, Katie invited Raul and I to go to an Angel's game with her and Pat. It was pretty neat. We have been wanting to go to an Angel's game since we moved to Cali but never committed to it until last weekend. I would have to say that I am a Dodger fan but a good game is a good game. We found tickets at a really great price and had great seats. They played the Texas Rangers and ended up losing but the game was still fun. My favorite part was in the 8th inning where if you cheered for the Rally Monkey....believe...and he will come. Monkey???!!!!

Idaho Trip, Part 3

On Thursday, My best buddies from Pocatello (track team) came up to Rupert to see me. We hung out at the Drif Inn and had dinner and lots of fun. Mary, Tim, Dana, and Meg all met us there as well. I am so happy that they all came to see me. I miss these girls so much. Love you guys!

Erin, Christina, and Me

Raul and Meg (we went to her and Dana's wedding on Sat.)

Me and Dana (the groom)

Crazy Lana and Jackie

Christina said that the side pictures like this are really cute...sure!

Saturday as I said, was Dana and Meg's wedding. It was so pretty. They had it in their backyard on the Snake River. They did such a great job with decorations and detail. It was nice to see all of the Rupert gang. We got to meet one of Raul's close childhood friend Alonzo's girlfriend Stacy. She was really nice so we pretty much hung out with them at the wedding. My favorite part of the wedding besides the ceremony was when we danced to DJ Rage's club music. It was fun. Raul found a new move called the stomp.

It was so wonderful to catch up with everyone on our trip. I also got to see my friend Kasey and her little boy Peyton. I can't believe how great of a mom she is. She has always been wonderful and nurturing with her horses but it can be different with a human and she has taken the mother role and excelled beyond belief. Love you Kase.

I miss Idaho everyday but I am happy to be here in California experiencing new things. My friends and family are very precious to me and I know that they will always be there. Thanks Idaho for all of the great memories and please protect my loved ones up there.

Boise, Part 2

I have pretty much been the world's biggest slacker. I have been lazy about posting and pretty much my life. It is a new day, summer is over, and I am ready to get back into a rythm. It seems like I am always planning for a new event. Well the next big event for me is the PF Changs Rock'n Roll Marathon in January. My dad and I are going to do it together. I have 20 weeks until the big day and I am so scared. But it is a wonderful thing that my dad and I can do together....it is pretty much going to be the biggest sufferfest I have ever experienced. Live with no regrets...right?! So stay tuned for updates on my training.


I wanted to post a few pictures of our zoo trip on my birthday up in Boise.

Idaho Adventure: Part 1, Boise

Our vacation started off with a bang! We (Raul) drove through the night on Wednesday to surprise Raul's family a day early in Boise. We were so excited to finally be there and I got to meet Hendrix (Neeka and Brian's little boy). Pretty much just love him! We had a lot of fun. I also got to see a lot of Boise that I had never seen before and visit my friend Sara.

On Saturday, we celebrated my birthday by going to the ZOO and having a BBQ. I really like just getting out and seeing new places and doing new things. And it was nice to visit with the whole family. I got some really awesome gifts from everyone. Mary got both Neeka and I "New Moon". It is fun because all of the girls are reading it and we talk about it all the time.

This was about 20 min after we got to Boise....14 hour drive!

Me and my new best friend

Me and Raul in downtown Boise

Neeka, Brian, Hendrix, Raul, Me, and Tim

Uncle Raul and Hendrix

Mary and her little boy