Massages, Martinis and MTB'ing

And sushi. And sake.

Also know as a trip to Milwaukee.

Also known as Our Valentine's Extravaganza.

Related: I'm a kick-a$$ fiancé!

So for Valentine's Day I decided to plan a little mini-break to Milwaukee. We had something we had to do in Madison on the morning, for the life of me I cannot remember what it was, but then Saturday afternoon we headed to Milwaukee for a relaxing weekend at The Pfister Hotel. Nothing says I Love You like a swanky hotel room, right? Er...

Anyways. The catalyst for this mini-break was actually a trip to the spa. Seeing as the local spa of choice was booked solid, I decided Milwaukee was the next logical place. It didn't hurt that a coworker of ours was having a birthday shindig at Ray's on Sunday. And lucky for me, my favorite hotel has an awesome spa in the basement, the Well Spa. Score! It was on like Donkey Kong for Hamman Showers and massages. Not to mention mimosas, chocolate covered strawberries, fresh fruit...I was in heaven! Pampered, chocolate covered, intoxicated heaven! If you have the chance to stop in there for a little TLC I highly recommend it. The staff was wonderful, the rooms and amenities were fabulous, and the massage was excellent!

I left dinner up to W for the night, which is HUGE for me because I hate surprises. Hate them! We ended up going around the corner from The Pfister to an Asian-fusion restaurant called Umami-Moto. OMG! Drool! YUM! Ugh, I want more sushi.... That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the place. It was SOOOO good. So good. A little yuppy for me, a little crowded, maybe a little overpriced, but it was all worth it! We split a couple of appetizers, a few of their house rolls, a bottle of Mu sake, and dessert. I don't actually know what was my favorite at dinner, but the Lobster Potstickers and the Crispy Shrimp roll were to die for. And the Chocolate Peanut dessert was lick your plate delicious. Yum, yum, yum.

We ended Saturday with cocktails at Blu. Their martinis are some of the best in Milwaukee, and I kind of a die-hard martini drinker, so it was a no-brainer. Holy balls, was it busy! And the crowd there was a strange mix of young and old, casual and dressy, refined and raucous. Definitely good people watching. Needless to say I was passed out asleep within minutes of getting into bed...and I didn't even hear when W walked into the closet door thinking it was the bathroom...and he has the bump on his forehead to prove it.

Sunday it was on to Ray's MTB for a little indoor mountain biking. Eep. For a girl who hasn't mountain biked, in oh, 5+ years, I was scared. Like shaking, indigestion, almost in tears terrified!! I'll put it right out there and say I didn't even want to go. But I did. And by the time I was in the car on my way home I finally stopped shaking. W, on the other hand, was like a kid in a candy store! Obstacles, the CX course, the pump track, he was all over it I am proud to say I did dabble in the beginner's area AND I didn't even get hurt!! Winner winner, chicken dinner! Am I ready and willing to call my self a mountain biker? Absolutely not. Will I give it another shot? Sure. Maybe. We'll see.

That pretty much sums up my weekend.

Did I mention I made it to the Y for some quality "wogging" once last week? Cause I did. I win!

Can I get a Dt Coke...

A 30 Before 30 Update.

I've officially been soda free, specifically Dt Coke free, for 1 month. Huzzah! My first thought was that as of tomorrow I can have a Dt Coke...yesssssss! Not only is it caffeinated, but it just tastes so friggin good.

Considering I didn't really replace it with anything, it was almost like going caffeine free. Almost. I still did made 2-3 cups of coffee a week, but that is no more or less than when on the Dt Coke. And seeing as I have never really been a sugary soda drinker I'm not really sure if I accomplished anything, other than self control. Hmmm, maybe there's a happy medium to be found here.

Anywho, cross that off the list!

I've also been to ass-kicking yoga workshops in January and February, which puts just a little bit closer to being a certified yoga instructor. But oh my, does it seem like this process is going to take forever. Seriously, for-ev-er. All in all it'll be less than a year form start to finish, but 1-2 20hr workshops a month PLUS practicing during the week PLUS homework and reading. Ugh. So much to do. Somehow I feel like the 3wk condensed trainings, while intense, seems like it might be the way to go. How I will come up with the $$$ and vacation time from work, I don't know. Details. But it seems like the way to go.

January AND February yoga workshops, CHECK!

I also managed to read a whole book. Granted, it was a shorter book...and nothing overly intellectual, but I read it. God that makes me sound like such an illiterate nimrod. I swear I'm not. Somewhere along the l way I just stopped reading, and that's so sad! Typically by the time I climb into bed I'm ready to go to sleep. And what use to be my reading time has long been replaced by my phone time with Wyatt when he's out of town, which is the majority of EVERY week.... But I digress. Back to the book.

I read "Oogy" by Larry Levin, and it was such a great book. It's a true story about a dog with a tragic start to life, that was given a second chance by family. Being the owner of a wonderful Pit Bull pup, rescues and misunderstood breeds are near and dear to my heart.

So um, yeah, with January in the books there have been some wins and some losses for the month. I have failed to find a place, and make contact with someone, to start volunteering. I didn't make it to the climbing gym. And for the life of me I cannot remember if I went to a new restaurant or watched a movie I've never seen before or not last month... Oh well. February is a new month!

I'm done rambling for the night. Which means maybe I'll maybe, just maybe, I'll make it to gymyet tonight.

Too much frosting, and other unrelated things...

Where to start...

For the most part I am seriously lacking the bridal gene. I just am. I'm not going to cry over dresses or flowers or center pieces. I don't really want to deal with caterers or djs. Traditions, while some have been known to make me tear up a bit at other weddings, don't hold any special place in my heart. I may have even suggested we elope to NYC City Hall before jet-setting to Europe or some tropical island. So when I was faced with going to a bridal show, I was less than excited. That's a little too high of concentration of estrogen and bridezillas for me. Shudder. But the fact of the matter is that we still needed to find the names of bakeries and find a dj for the event, so Wyatt and I went. Yes Wyatt not only went, but he suggested we go. Like woah.

The Rolling Pin Bake Shop

Their Lemon Poppyseed cupcake was BY FAR the best of the day!

What was the outcome? A sugar high like never before and a case of frosting induced nausea. That's right, we power tasted every bakery in the joint, and got the flock out of there. I had enough buttercream to swear off cake for life (or at least a month or so), but we did find one or two joints worth setting up an official tasting with. And I learned A LOT of what I don't like. Disco balls, bows, Christmas lights, and rotating plexi-glass displays. It's all a little too 1980's for me.

Speaking of the buttercream induced nausea, I broke down and had half a Sierra Mist at the show. I was doing soooo good. No Soda, specifically Diet Coke, for a whole. And out of desperation not to toss my cookies in public I resorted to white soda to settle my stomach. I had decided that I was ok with this and that it didn't caught against my 30 Before 30 month of no soda (which started January 9th if you were curious) but then yesterday I found myself fighting back chunks at work and succumb to Sierra Mist AGAIN. I feel like such a failure!! If my choices are purging in public of having a soda, I have to admit I will ALWAYS go the soda. There are just some things I am not willing to do. Yuck.

Does this mean I have to start over? I legitimately have not had a drop of Diet Coke in over a week now. That should count for something....

In other 30 Before 30 news, I had my January yoga workshop this past weekend. I was suppose to spend Friday evening, all day Saturday and all day Sunday at the workshop, but giving my still healing state I opted out of Saturday. I think it was the right decision because I was hella sore after Friday evening, not to mention Sunday. But I learned some super cool stuff about prana and energy, and postural compensations and corrections. I find myself wanting to incorporate these things not only into my practice, but every day. But like any new habit, it takes conscious effort to make it happen, and that is not always easy or pleasant at first.

There are so many ramble-y things I could mention. Katie vs Landlord, Landlord 0, Katie 3 #FTW!!! Or how I am diving head first into one of the more stressful weeks of the years this week, but that's probably not approved blog content. OR the laundry list of DIY home improvements I desperately want to accomplish, um, like yesterday. But at the moment I am hungry and distracted, so I'll have to save all that for another day!

30 Before 30

So 2011 brings, among other things, my 30th birthday. Surprisingly I'm not yet panicked or depressed by this age. In fact I am hopeful that my 30's will bring things that my 20's haven't. What those things are exactly, I'm not sure, but I know there will be plenty memorable moments. But I digress.

I've never really been a put it out there sort of bucket-lister. I mean, what if I fill my bucket with unobtainable goals and put the list out there, and years later have nothing more to show than the original list? Sad.

For example, I wanted more than anything to finish my first Ironman before I turned 30. 2009 was going t be that year. I trained, and trained, and in the end never made it to the start because of injury. I was crushed. For a while anyways. But I got over it. And I realized that my Ironman and triathlon goals are less about checking something off on a bucket list, and more about a lifestyle. There will be another race, another year, and another Ironman.

So I've decided that in the next 11+ months I have plenty of time to accomplish 30 things. I actually started writing this back in November but never quite finished my list or got around to posting it. Shocker, I know. My list is both big and small, significant and mundane, a lifestyle and the unfamiliar. Many of these things I use to do on a regular basis, but have let life and excuses get in the way these days.

Here goes.

My 30 before 30.

Eat at one new restaurant a month

January: ?

February 12: Umami Moto

March 17: Cooper's Hawk
Read 1 new book a month

January: Oogy

February: ?

March: The Love Machine (not my first time reading it, but who doesn't LOVE a little Jacqueline Susann from time to time)

Run 500+ miles
Run 2 Half Marathons
Complete a 70.3
Run my first marathon
Get Married!!

The date is set for September 23, 2011
Re-learn to mountain bike

Started at Ray's MTB 2/13/11

To be continued...
Participate in 1 WORS mountain bike race
Cook 1 new recipe a month

January 1, 2011: Lemoncillo Bundt Cake

February 7, 2011: Bake Chili Fries--AWFUL!! For you're sake, don't try them.

March 3,2011: Turkey Meatloaf (not my first turkey laof, but a new recipe for it. meh)

Give up fried food for 1 month

Climb at Devil's Lake
Watch 1 new movie a month

January: ?

February: Blue Valentine

March: Youth in Revolt

Go camping at least 2 times
Go snowboarding
Visit somewhere I've never been
Ride the IM WI loop at least once
Give up soda for 1 month

Started 1/9/11....wish me luck!

Ended 2/9/11
Use my wetsuit 10 times (should be modified to say FIT in my wetsuit...)

Visit the BFF in NYC
Build a piece of furniture
Try TRX
Clean out my closet AND dresser

Fit into my skinny jeans

Learn to knit a hat
Learn to geocache
Take dance lessons

Started 2/10/11

Go on a roadtrip

Well there you have it. For better or worse, my first bucket list. I should add updating the list as a sub-item on the list, but I think that's a given. Wish me luck!