Quality Friday: Sleep - It Does a Body Good

Since early April, I have found myself working much longer hours, sometimes tearing myself away from my computer after 8 or 9pm at night. Working from home can be challenging, because it is difficult to create boundaries between work-life and home-life when there is no physical difference between where they take place. My "office" is the couch. My relaxation spot is also the couch. I can effectively keep working and allow myself to think I'm relaxing without even realizing in.

When it does occur to me that the balance in my life has been severely tilted towards work, I find myself getting frustrated and looking for more things to "do" to physically force myself away from work. Case in point, I signed up for a marathon. Don't get me wrong - I'm very excited to be training, and am thrilled to be doing it for a great cause. Still, part of my reasoning for doing so was a bit flawed.

One reason for a marathon training program? Having something else to do will force me to stop working earlier in the evenings so that I can "do something for myself". The reality? Now I have one more (hugely time-consuming) activity to try to fit into an already crammed work and travel schedule. My solution lately? Stay awake longer. Well, who needs sleep anyway?

Me, I'm learning.

Last Monday night, as Mark and I were sitting on the couch enjoying our evening before my whirlwind week of travel, I found myself mentally working down the list of things I needed to get done before I left. I picked up my computer to check into my flight. Mark asked me to please put it down and please try to spend some time with him - we were in the middle of a conversation, and it was obvious that I was barely listening. Worse, I found myself getting increasingly frustrated that he was still talking to me when I clearly had so much to do and was obviously already tired. I could feel my pulse racing until as we started to argue, and finally I snapped at him.

I immediately found myself fighting back tears, as I buried my face in Mark's shoulder. Why can't I just get it all done? I cried. I'm exhausted, and obviously have not figured out how to manage my time. I have so much to do, and don't understand why I have to have a limit. I don't want to be limited. You know I hate it when I feel like I can't do something, and right now I'm pretty sure I'm not doing anything well, I sobbed to him.

Lovingly, my husband comforted me. He reminded me that I needed to be a little easier on myself, get more rest and put less pressure on myself. He told me that how much he appreciated me and promised to be more understanding and less demanding of my time. He said all the right things and was an absolute Saint.

Fast-forward to 11:30 pm Thursday night, when again, I was a completely exhausted wreck, having traveled to Seattle and then LA in the previous 2 days. Barely surviving on less that 4 hours of sleep per night, I still forced myself to get up early that morning to run at the hotel gym. Intermittently, I was crabby and snapping at Mark, then falling asleep on him, as we tried to talk on the phone for the first time that day.

Finally, he begged me to just go to bed already. When I complained that I needed to get up early to run, he told me that I was bing ridiculous and reminded me that I desperately needed sleep. Please sleep, he pleaded. Just catch up - you'll feel so much better. Don't set your alarm until you ACTUALLY need to get up tomorrow.

Thank God for his persistence, and that I had the sense to listen. Immediately, I crawled into bed, and surprised myself by waking up ahead of my alarm, well rested.

My day on Friday was wonderful. Amazingly, I am a much calmer and happier person when I get enough sleep:) I truly believe that just one night of solid shut-eye made the entire difference for my weekend. Instead of going into it exhausted, I was well rested and de-stressed. On both Friday and Saturday nights, I followed suit, going to bed early and waking up feeling wonderful, able to truly enjoy (and focus on) the time that Mark and I shared together.

I hope that this is a new leaf that I'm turning over. Away with the crabby, unbalanced person that I've been. Here's to Sleep - a key component in my quest towards balance and proper boundaries in my life!

Adventures in Pasta

Last weekend brought with it a new adventure in cooking - one that Mark and I took on together for Date Night on Saturday. Mark suggested that we finally break open a Christmas gift from eons ago (seriously, I think it was a gift from me to him before we got married!) and make individualized ravioli, from scratch!

The beauty of this idea is that Mark and I generally have very different food cravings. For example, pizza night usually involves two separate pies - a meat lovers with extra cheese for Mark, and a veggie option for me (not that I don't like meat, I just LOVE spinach and onions and peppers and mushrooms). So we picked our fillings and set out to make the pasta.

Amazingly, the dough is quite easy to mix, using only a few ingredients. Each serving contains 2 oz. semolina, 1 1/2 -2 oz. bread flour, 1 egg, 1 t vegetable oil and a pinch of salt (water is optional if the dough gets too dry).



After kneeding and letting the dough sit for 15 minutes, we then prepared it for the pasta maker, ensuring it was well floured on both sides.


The trick to making good dough is to pass it through the flat rollers multiple times to continue to kneed the dough. The knob at the top has numbered settings ranging from 7 to 1 (thick to thin).

After each pass through, more flour is dusted on the dough. The knob setting is then stepped down, to make the dough increasingly thinner. We ended on setting 5, deciding that ravioli that is too thin would not hold the filling very well.

Meanwhile, on the stove our fillings were cooking. Mark chose a spicy Italian sausage mixture, which he used both in his ravioli and in his sauce. I opted for spinach, garlic and mushrooms with fresh mozzarella for my filling.


Once the dough was rolled to our desired thinness, we cut it to fit width of the ravioli plate, added our fillings to half the dough strip, and folded the remaining over, pressing the edges well. Was this the correct approach? Not quite sure, but since our manual no longer exists and the on-line version was lacking specific instructions, we improvised.


Admittedly, this rolling and cutting of the ravioli squares was nowhere near perfect in our multiple attempts. Adding the filling was tricky - it can't be too warm (mistake #1) or too thickly spread (mistakes #2-4) as these both cause the ravioli to ooze and not remain intact as it is rolled through the cutting plates.

Alas, here is what we ended up with. Not very evenly stuffed, but perhaps next time, with more practice. :)

After 4 leisurely hours of playing with dough, Mark perfecting our sauces (Fresh basil is key here, friends. And lots of it.) and "experimenting" with the pasta maker our ravioli finally made it to water that had been boiling on the stove for a good hour in preparation. The bottle of wine we consumed along the way certainly added to the fun of the evening!


The final result? One of the most fulfilling and enjoyable pasta dishes we've ever had, and an experience that we'll look back on fondly for years to come.


Buon appetito!

Quality Friday: Making Every Minute Count

Last weekend's trip back to Chicago was as Jam Packed as could be. Really, is there any other way to do it, when you only have a few brief days to spend with family and friends?

I'm amazed at the number of people I was able to see and the number of things I was able to do in the short time between Saturday evening and Tuesday afternoon. My spirits were lifted, my belly was full, and my eyelids were heavy by the time I headed back!

Saturday night, after dinner and wine at home with Dad, Jonathan and Casandra, I briefly stopped in at Melissa and Steven's to hug and spend a few moments with Orlando and Esther.

Sunday morning began early with brunch at Starbucks/Tre Kroner with Melissa, Ann-Marie and Kjersten, followed by church at Edgebrook.

The Original Brunchettes.

Immediately after church, I picked up Leslie and we cruised downtown to the Greek Islands where we met Norman for a lovely lunch. I wasn't even remotely hungry when we arrived, but who can resist a plate full of taramasalata and an order of pastitsio?

Just a few hours later, I had my third meal of the day at a restaurant - dinner at Garcia's with my parents, brothers, Shruti and Casandra to celebrate Dad's birthday. I've missed so many family events in the past month - Jonathan's college graduation, Mom's birthday and Mother's Day, Brandon's birthday on Wednesday, and Daniel's high school graduation tonight - opportunities that I'd have to spend time with my fantastic family if we didn't live 2000 miles away.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

After allowing the day's worth of food plus cake to settle, Jonathan and I even went for a run at 11pm on Sunday night!

Monday and Tuesday were filled with meetings at work and a chance to gather hugs from friends at the office, enjoy snippets of their lives and a few minutes of face time. And on Monday night, after a team dinner (yes, another one!) at Carlucci's, Melissa and I headed out to see SATC, followed by cosmos at the new Velez Luce home (where I also spent the night in their chic guest room)!

Chicago, I love you. I miss you when I'm gone, and enjoy every moment when I'm back. The only thing that could have made the weekend better is if Mark had been there, too.

Next time, I'm bringing him back with me. Period.

Quality Friday: Team in Training

In my brief stint as a (self-proclaimed) runner, I've participated in a few of events that have challenged my endurance and have tested my will. Usually, the reason I've participated in these events has been to push myself to new limits, to prove something to myself. From 8K to 10K to half-marathon to marathon, I've tried to run faster, run longer, run further. Admittedly, the focus has usually been me and my ability to run.

On a few occasions, I've coupled a fun running distance (5K) with raising money for a charitable organization, and these have been fulfilling for a completely different reason. Perhaps it had something to do with a shift in my focus. On those days, my running - the whole event - was to honor, remember or benefit someone else.

I imagine that the disappointment I experienced after last year's marathon would have paled in comparison to the joy I would have felt for the steps I'd taken to strengthen a cause. And as the miles of training wore on me, had I been thinking of someone else's struggle (rather than my own), perhaps I would have been uplifted and inspired to honor them or uphold their memory.

I was reminded of this again after failing to be selected for the Nike Women's Marathon earlier this spring.

This year, through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program, I'm hoping to re-define why I run. I'm healthy - one of the greatest blessings God could ever give me. There are many people in this world who aren't as fortunate. Maybe my health, my ability to run, can help make a difference in their lives.

Team in Training is celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2008. In the past 20 years, they have raised more than $850 million to support patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, by working with doctors and scientist to find cures for these diseases.

Did you know that leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under the age of 20? That every 5 minutes another child or adult is diagnosed with a blood-related cancer? The research is working, though! Twenty-five years ago, only 5% of children diagnosed with leukemia survived. Today that survival rate has increased to 81%!

This training season, I'm hoping to do a small part to keep that survival rate rising. I'm both excited and nervous to be taking on this challenge - a large fundraising effort and the dedication needed to succeed at another marathon.

I hope you join me on this adventure! I'm sure I'll share my training updates here on my blog, and I've also included a link to my Fundraising Page where you can check in on my progress. Whether you're able to support me through donations or through your prayers for a injury-free season and encouragement along the way, I am grateful.

Happy belated Quality Friday.

Travel Brain

In a hurry to leave for the airport yesterday, I rushed out of the house without turning off the coffee pot. In fact, I hadn't even had a chance to pour myself a cup. It was 11am when I left home. Perhaps this caffeine deprivation explains this memory lapse?

Approaching the airport, I realized my mistake and frantically called the apartment manager, who asked if I would release permission for someone to enter our unit to turn it off. (Why else would I have called, exactly?) Thankfully, I had brewed just the right amount of coffee, because when Mark got home late that night, the machine was still on, but had enough liquid in it to prevent the fire I had feared. Did I mention that I had made a call earlier with this concern? Oh, right. There was a Work Order note next to it stating that the machine had not been found to be on. I guess the glowing red light on the ON switch wasn't a clear enough indication. :)

Then last night, twelve hours after my hurried departure, I finally arrived at my hotel room in Ottawa, Ontario. As I unpacked my 1-Quart Liquids and Gels Bag, I quickly realized that I had forgotten to pack toothpaste. It was 2am at this point, the hotel gift store was closed (obviously), and I didn't want to bother the front desk.

Instead, a brilliant idea came to me as my eyes landed on the miniature bottle of mouthwash sitting on the sink. Too tired to care, I took a swig and proceeded to "brush" my teeth with my new-found liquid toothpaste. And then I flossed. My dentist would be so proud, wouldn't he?

To top it all off, I also managed to pack two workout shirts and zero workout pants. Guess that's an excuse to sleep in tomorrow morning.

Quality Friday: Bag It!

Lately, I have been very conscious of how many plastic bags we bring home with us. A few months ago, while at the local Safeway, I picked up one of their reusable bags, and we have been making an effort to use it regularly. In instances when one bag isn't enough, we've opted for paper over plastic, but I recently learned that paper bags aren't the answer, either.

On a recent grocery shopping trip, Mark mentioned that we might want to buy a second bag for $1, but I pushed back, saying that we didn't really need it. What I probably meant was that I hadn't yet found the right bag to purchase.....

Last week while in Vancouver, I decided to stopped in at a fun home and housewares store to browse a bit during one of my lunch breaks. (Downtown Vancouver has GREAT shopping, for those of you who like that sort of thing. Yes, Why I Love Vancouver, Part 3.)

What I found was a fantastic bag by Reisenthel that I just couldn't resist!

This City Shopper is larger than the Safeway bag, and made of sturdy polyester with a reinforced bottom that I'm convinced will NEVER break. Its the perfect shape for me, because it carries like a large purse (and even has an inside pocket for your wallet and keys, and a small cell phone pocket). Notice the little rectangle clipped on to the handle? This is a second bag that can be unfolded to use when the larger one runs out of room!

Have I mentioned that its also cute and stylish? Why would anyone want to carry plastic bags, when they can carry this? Admittedly, Mark laughed at me when I came home with it. "The $1 bag wasn't necessary, huh?" he commented. ;)

I know it sounds silly, but I realize that I'm just more likely to use it for multiple purposes because I actually enjoy carrying it around. My new bag has made its way with me on two quick grocery trips, to Target, and even to the pet store. And the old grocery bag now lives in Mark's car for when he needs to pick things up on his way home.

Last week, we also made great use of another reusable Reisenthel bag, given to us by dear friends as a Thank You after their recent visit. We took it wine tasting with us, and in addition to saving from having to toss two more cardboard carrying cases, also got many a compliment along the way.


I know its just a start, but I hope that in this small way we can help to keep from generating more unnecessary waste - one bag and box at a time.

Why I love Vancouver, Part 2

Here are the photos that I promised, taken about a year ago on my very first trip to Vancouver.

Spring and Fall are the best seasons to visit, and if you're able to stay in a hotel that's right on Coal Harbor, these views are at your doorstep (or out your hotel window):

The snow-capped North Shore Mountains as seen from the walking path along Coal Harbor.

Gorgeous rhododendron bushes in lush, green, Stanley Park.

A swan in the Lost Lagoon.

Sunset on the English bay.

The petrol station and seaplanes in Coal Harbor. (Yes, this was taken from my hotel window.)

See? Isn't is just gorgeous? If you don't believe me, you just might have to go and check it out for yourself!