Happy Easter! He is Risen!

More People that I love have arrived!

Julia and Carson... AMAZING ladies. HAPPY!

The four of us have been chillin!

Jaime came to Italy: We ate, we saw, we conquered :)

Jaime came to visit me in Italy! When she arrived for her five day adventure in Italy (and the Tour de Slovenia, Croatia, and Venice, better know to us as "SloVenCRoa), the airlines not only lost her luggage, but there was also a national bus strike going on in Italy so she had a long wait and journey just to unite with me! What a trooper though, she was all smiles when I greeted her at the Bus depot.  We walked along the water of Trieste to watch the sunset and had our photograph taken by a New York times freelance photographer doing a spot on Trieste. It was quite an evening and first night of fun! Fresh calamari, good pizza, and SLEEP!

Later on in the weekend, we rescued her bag from the airport, visited the Castle Miramare, and went on an Osmiza adventure. IT WAS a phenomenal evening. Liz, Lizzy, Molly, Jaime, and I packed up our little rental car with blankets and the guitar and preceded to sing and be jolly and merry like Italians do at Osmizas to great meals. 

Later we visited Venice, wandered the streets, ate Gelato, had pasta, and called it a day as we were finally tired from wandering aimlessly. 

I am so glad to have had her around. We had great conversations and lots of laughs. She is a dear and wonderful friend :)  

Here are some pictures:

Jaime came to Italy! This is in Premantura island... near Pula, Croatia

Pula, Croatia had awesome Roman ruins!

We showed Jaime around to Trieste's Carso... and introduced her to Osmizas!

A beautiful, beautiful day in Croatia... with four great friends :)

Budget deal averts shutdown

Budget deal averts shutdown

Ok for real... 7th band-aid extension and for...One week? Catching up on news can be overwhelming at times....Liz, Lizzy, and I are sipping coffee and wondering why the world is...well falling apart... well... I may have some answers, but I'm going to stop now and get ready for church.

Government shutdown: How it came to this

Government shutdown: How it came to this

Interesting article about the government "shutdown"... I'm trying to figure out what's going on in the US of A!

The Harrington's, 10k, and Spring :)

I am still behind with the upkeep of my blog... but here are some brief highlights of the end of march and early April :)

The Harrington's

Well... March ended with a blast of warm air from Uganda when I got to reunite with Molly and Michele Harrington. Sharing time with them in Italy was just so good for the heart. I mean anytime with an Ohana girl is the simply the best.  Having a best friend around... YES! I loved navigating cities with them... enjoying gelato, walking, talking and just laughing... here are some photos of that:

Overlooking the Umbrian Valley from Assisi

Making our way into Assisi on a cloudy Friday morning

Oh yea... Ohana

San Francesco Basilica, Assisi, Italy

Stramilano 10k

Liz and I journeyed to Milan last weekend to run a 10k.  It was super fun... Liz bought some clothes, we carb-loaded with heart-shaped pizza's (mine had french fries and pepperoni on it), and then ran amongst some funny "athletic" Italians.  One man was smoking a cigarette at the starting line.... I'm so proud of us... we had so much fun... and we are at the half way point of our half marathon training. I ran 10 miles yesterday... feeling good for May8th!

Me and Liz, Piazza Del Duomo right before Stramilano 10k

 Spring Time in Trieste Thoughts:

It's spring! Yesterday it was 78 degrees outside. A gorgeous day...I loved every minute... and I am super excited for more warm weeks ahead. I ran in the morning, ate the biggest orange I've ever eaten in my life with Lizzy on the pier near Piazza Unitá, wandered the city, and then had aperitivo on the water at Barcola. The sunset was amazing. Spring is here!

Sunset at Barcola, Miramare--Trieste, Italy (April 2 2011)

Fishermen at dusk....Trieste, Italy

 Artwork--Trieste, Italy

Can anyone name all the people in this depiction of the last supper below?

Neat Artsy, "Last Supper" in a Cafe in Trieste

what to eat/drink after a run

So a lot of us are gearing up and training for the Trieste "Bavisela," Half Marathon and Marathon. In February, training was grueling and at times non-existent with the Bora and horrible weather. But with the first of april came sun rays and a beautiful spring! Now all I want to do is be outside.

And.... running is fun again! Happy!

After all my runs I drink a tall glass of Chocolate Milk. My roomies asked why I do it, and I said, that in the Crack Shack last year, Dan/Laura told me it was good to drink it... and that they had a good reason that I couldn't remember... Liz also drank muscle milk after exercise... and it just became a habit.... hmmm... Anyway... I looked it up... Here's the answer that I got from about.com:

Question: What Should I Eat After a Run?

Do I need to eat something after a run?

Answer: After running, especially a long run, you want to replenish energy as quickly as possible. Studies have shown that muscles are most receptive to rebuilding glycogen (stored glucose) stores within the first 30 minutes after exercise. If you eat soon after your workout, you can minimize muscle stiffness and soreness.

You'll want to consume primarily carbs, but don't ignore protein. A good rule of thumb for post-run food is a ratio of 1 gram of protein to 3 grams of carbs. Nutrition bars, such as Clif bars or Power bars, are healthy options. Other examples would be a bagel with peanut butter or a smoothie made with fruit and yogurt.

If you feel like you can't stomach solid food immediately after a run, try drinking some chocolate milk. Chocolate milk provides plenty of protein, carbohydrates and B vitamins —- making it a greatrecovery drink. And cold chocolate milk tastes pretty refreshing after a run.

http://running.about.com/od/nutritionandhydration/f/postruneating.htm

(from About.com!)