Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Segal Sisters in Manhattan!

Here are some photos of my day trip to Manhattan...

Dylan's Candy store... how have I never been there before?? Yes, I bought candy pajama pants!

This is pretty much my mantra...

Seeing as I think "Eva" when I see fun pajama pants, I couldn't help but bring her a pair too!

The candy pajama pants made it in almost every photo...
Segal Sisters!!

One Chapter Ends

Back in November, as I was stressing about finishing my thesis, the one thought that kept me going was “all things end eventually.” Just like a book, whether good or bad, eventually you reach the end. So, in some respects this is actually kind of a sad thought, but in the case of my thesis... it was what kept me going each day... knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel was real and that eventually this chapter in my life would finish. And finish it did… as of December 15th 2006, I finished a master’s of science degree in mechanical engineering.

On my way to New York for the holidays, I kicked back and relaxed while reading the December 2006 Runner’s World issue for some inspiration on some longer training runs as I contemplated running a half marathon this spring. I came across this quote which confirms that not only am I runner, but I also think like one… John Bingham (the Penguin) writes:

“But even the longest runs end. Even the worst races are over eventually. The days and the miles and the races keep adding up. And before you know it, you are someone you never expected to be. You are a runner… Waddle On, friends.” Ah, so perfectly appropriate for what I had just been through!

And speaking of Runner's World - in the latest issue there is a hysterically funny article about Lance Armstrong's experience running the marathon. The author happens to be his ex-wife, Kristin Armstrong, who has a truly unique and witty perspective regarding Lance. Here's the link if you're interested... I highly recommend it!

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--11422-0,00.html

Winners!

Just a few shots of my super fun fall league team, Flucker :)



Friday, November 10, 2006

Amazing Strangers

So, back in August we went camping on the Olympic Peninsula. One of our stops was at the Oxbow Campground on the Hoh River. First thing in the morning we were taking a stroll with Ella and ran into a couple with a gorgeous golden who Ella immediately befriended. They were hysterical, rolling in the mud together on the river's bank. I attempted to take some photos of this priceless moment, but my camera decided to "malfunction" and I couldn't get any photos! Luckily, the couple, Suzy and John, offered to send me some of theirs, so we gave them our address and went on our way.

Well, a nice surprise arrived in the mail today... and here they are...
probably one of Ella's happiest and dirtiest moments yet!

Thank you Suzy and John!! We'll have to meet up for another play date some day!

Hiking Annette Lake

I took Ella to Annette Lake, a seven mile hike off of Rt. 90, about 45 minutes from Seattle. She had a blast racing up the trail, running with Val’s dog, Fife, splashing in the icy lake at the top and then tearing back down. Her endless energy never ceases to amaze me.
I love this photo... it really captures the essence of the day!
This is Fife, Val's dog...

Moving Right Along

October is one of the hardest months of the year for me... suddenly, something I've been putting so much time and energy into both physically and mentally for the past 8 months is over and I find myself constantly searching for things to fill its void (besides my thesis that is!). Playing fall league on Flücker helps. This is my outlet to throw pretty much anything ("dangerous overconfidence" is our motto), play any position and just relax and have fun. As if that wasn’t enough fun in itself… we also get to play on new turf fields almost always to music supplied by one of the members of the team, Xtehn (who also supplied the jerseys from his company 5 Ultimate.) Thanx X!

A few action shots...


and I finally get to play with Dave again!


Ella is always a good sport while we play, hanging out on the sideline and enjoying the endless pats on the head from passersby. I could swear she actually watches the game some of the time…

She posed like this on her own, I swear! Her red frisbee is one of her favorite toys and luckily, it's indestructible!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

NW Regionals

One thing has led to another and I haven't managed to post for quite some time, so I have some catching up to do. My ultimate season ended with the Northwest Regional tournament that took place in Burlington, WA. Unfortunately, we did not have the best weekend as a team and therefore finished 8th overall, losing to a team we had beaten earlier in the season. Even though the overall outcome of the season was a bit disappointing, there were definitely some sweet moments both during this tournament and throughout the season. Looking back at the photos makes me really miss everyone!

Thanks to Eric Mattson and Liz Korb, we got some sweet shots during game time....

He actually got a picture of me getting a "D" in the Schwa game!
Meredith getting a sweet poach "D" in the Rough Riders game:

I took a few shots myself after playing on Sunday...

...mostly of us being silly on the sideline and heckling...

Our fearless leaders:

And of course some shots of Ella...
with Cash...

and with her best friend, Rippley:

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Chicago Curse

Viva went to Chicago for Heavyweights for the second year in a row. And yet again, Chicago got the better of us. Although this year we were much more prepared for the jet lag by getting in earlier, staying at a hotel closer to the fields, sleeping in beds, getting to the fields over an hour early and getting a good physical warm-up, we still did not play up to our potential. I've been struggling to determine why we played so poorly after such a good trip to Colorado. I think despite being physically warmed up, we were just not mentally all there. So small mental mistakes by everyone added up to an overall poor Viva showing. Not to mention we were missing some key players. I would guess this will be our last trip to Chicago… at least for a few years! We did manage to come back against a team in a very upwind-downwind game and score the upwinder when we HAD to, or else lose! So we ended up 5th overall out of about 20 teams. Hopefully sectionals and regionals will go better when we have our full roster in our own time zone…

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Mini-Pack: Sized Small, Medium & Large

Yup, my mom definitely has a mini-pack. These pups are hysterical. They each have a very distinct personality and they all HATE being left behind (whether you're leaving the house or just going to the bathroom). People say that usually when you have more than one dog, the dogs become "dog dogs" as opposed to "people dogs". Well, that is certainly not the case with this trio. As soon as anyone leaves the room, they run to the gate and anxiously await your return. They are insanely playful... at times so much that you may think WWIII has landed in the living room!



All three dogs have attended obedience school. And what cracks me up is that my mom hasn’t changed one bit with her new “children”… just as she proudly displayed my “happy grams” in 1st grade… she now has a fridge plastered with her pups’ certificates for passing puppy class, and the 1st and 2nd grades! I have definitely learned that life is incomplete without a dog (or three!). It is just impossible not to be happy around these little ewoks. I wish there was some way for Ella to meet those three. I'm sure they would just love each other! Too bad you can't reserve a seat on a plane for your dog... I just don't have the heart to put her in with the baggage! One of the downsides to living so far away.

Frog Blog

I discovered this frog at my dad’s house hanging out on a mantel and just had to take its picture. I’m not sure why I was so intrigued by this frog in particular… it’s one of many in my dad’s collection. I suppose I just liked its goofiness amongst all the other beautiful works of art on display… a “diamond in the rough.” Mostly, I like that both my parents have an affinity for frogs and extensive collections, so I thought I’d share one!

A random childhood memory relating to frogs just for fun… when I was learning to read and had just learned the “-ing” ending, I could not for the life of me read the word “frog”… I would start to sound it out… “fr-, fr-, fr-…” but always return to “FRING!” and that darn “-ing!” ending. Finally, my mom couldn’t take it any more and shouted “it’s FROG dammit FROG!” and I’ve never forgotten the word since… thanks mom J

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Growing Up Part 2

Ella isn't the only one growing up around here... last week I traveled back to my home town (Bethesda) for the wedding of my childhood friend, Tal Alon (now Gospin). And for the first time in five years saw both her and Sally Glynn (now Hauser) at the same time! We went together to get manicures (my first one since my high school prom in fact!) and spent some nice time hanging out and catching up. Sally is expecting a baby boy in December and is just glowing from head to toe! It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed since we were just graduating high school... and that I have known those two for 16 years!


The ceremony was beautiful, both Tal and Dan seemed magically happy together, and Tal’s parents were beaming happiness from ear to ear.

In addition to getting married this year, Tal graduated from medical school and got accepted to a residency program at Columbia University in Manhattan, her first pick! 2006 will be quite THE year when all is said and done... I WILL finish my master's degree this December, marking this as my last year of school (ever?!)... my sister, Talia, WILL finish her record album...Mike will start a program in sustainable business.... Eva had a baby boy... Sally will have a baby boy... Ella, Dante and Max joined the family... Mom became a "survivor"...the list goes on and on!! Good thing there are still a few months left to the year to finish!