The Shadow of the Wind

I just finished reading this month's book club book - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. 

It was an AMAZING read, and I'm so glad that we picked it out as our "Halloween" themed book.  Although it wasn't particularly scary in a traditional way, it definitely had haunting scenes, and exciting / suspenseful moments throughout.

What I loved about this book went above and beyond what I expected - the characters were amazing (just wait 'till you meet Fermin, he's fantastic), and the story itself was peppered with short stories that all connected and wound themselves into the whole basis of the book.  Every story that was told began to unravel the bigger mystery bit by bit until the shocking conclusion at the end.

The story follows Daniel - a young adolescent who works in his father's bookstore in Barcelona.  He discovers a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, and makes it his life's mission to find what happened to the author and the rest of his books.  A mysterious man is going around the world trying to find every one of Carax's books so that he can burn them, and Daniel will do anything it takes to find out why.

It's not only a mystery, but also a beautifully written and very poetic novel.  It's a wonderful homage to the beauty of books and reading - and the way that stories suck you in and change you in the end.  It talks about the importance of embracing life and living every moment fully.  I'm not ashamed to say I totally cried at the end!

It's a pretty dense book (a lot of information you don't want to miss), but a very deep and wonderful story.  I think the version I rented from the Denver library was just under 500 pages.  So if you're taking a long journey, or if you want a great winter book to snuggle under the covers with, definitely pick this one up.  You won't regret it!

Halloween isn't here yet, but I'm ready for THANKSGIVING!

As I may have mentioned before, I'm a huge sucker for THANKSGIVING!!  

Not only because I get 4 whole days off work (although, that's a big reason), but I love the food, the cooking, the drinking before noon, the family & friends, the smells of the warm house, the crisp air outside, the fall colors - oh, my - just about everything about it!  
 
Since I'm so ridiculously excited about it already and it's not even Halloween, I have (as usual) started my menu REALLY freakin' early again this year.  Here's what I've come up with this time around!

THANKSGIVING MENU 2011

Breakfast

Quick Sticky Buns (this is seriously the yummiest & easiest recipe ever!) 

Appetizers / Snacks

Brie with fig preserves & caramelized pears (with crackers)

Coconut Curry Cashews & Maple Candied Walnuts

Side Dishes

Salad (Deb will help with this again - she's so good at making delicious salads!) 

Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Ricotta & Spinach

Mashed Potatoes (classic-style)

Cranberry Sauce (Taryn always gets this job, because she's awesome at it!!) 

Vegan Gravy (my favorite recipe - that's popular even with meat-eaters!)

Fake "Sausage" Pumpkin Cornbread Stuffing  (obviously this recipe calls for real sausage, but that's not how I roll)

Stuffed or Roasted Mushrooms (my mom is taking this one over!)

Garlic-roasted Asparagus Spears

Biscuits & butter

Main Dishes

Chickpea Cutlets (this one is still a "maybe", as I've never tried it before, but I'm going to give it a shot sometime this week/weekend.  It's from my Veganomicon cookbook, and looks a bit challenging, but it could be a nice change!) 

Tofurkey Wellington

Turkey (John is going to tackle this sucker!) 

Dessert

I was going to make Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, but I think Taryn is going to take over with the pie-baking as well. She's just so darn good at it!

My little sister can't eat dairy, so most things are going to be vegan (except of course the obvious meat-stuff, and anything that literally says it contains cheese).  But luckily that means she's good to go with about 80% of the menu which is rockin'! :)

I'm going to see what recipes Martha Stewart has come up with on her website too, as I'm always a big fan of what she creates!  

  

John's sister Angela will be here visiting for the holiday too, so I'm excited to finally meet her in person.  It's going to be a really fun (and LONG) weekend!!  I totally can't wait.  

What are your plans for Thanksgiving??  Are you as excited to cook as I am, or are you more of a watch-football-until-everything-is-ready type of person?  

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!! :D

All photos from www.weheartit.com.

OH, and how could I forget??

One more quick post for today... (a bit of a background story)... 

All summer I've been so bummed out that I can't afford to get a ski pass this season.  In past years, I've always charged the amount to my credit card, then spent the winter paying it off.  Then one year, I didn't get it paid off.  Then the next year after that, I still didn't get it paid off.... and the debt just kept adding up.

Needless to say, I had to take responsibility.  As you know I've been working my booty off with getting all of my debt paid off - which has included cutting spending wherever I can, and even taking on a part-time job on top of my full-time job.  Last year I still ended up getting a 4-pack to Arapahoe Basin / Keystone resorts, but I knew that this year I had to be extra careful.  So no snowboarding for me!  SAD FACE but I'm a big girl, and there's always next year!

Yesterday was rough.  I had a ridiculously stressful day at my day job, then I had to go straight from there to my part-time job.  I got home late, hungry and exhausted.  John was up waiting for me - as excited as a boy can be.

John: "I have something for you!"

Me: "Is that my early Christmas present that you have been peeing your pants to tell me about for the last month?"

John: "Yes.  Open it.  I can't take it anymore."

So I opened it, and burst into tears.

The boy got me a FRIGGIN' SKI PASS for the season!!!  Not a dinky ol' 4-pack either - unlimited visits to Keystone, A-Basin, and Breck, as well as 10 passes to Beaver Creek and Vail.  I had no words!!  I hugged him and kissed him and thanked him endlessly.  I have never gotten a gift like that EVER, and it meant so much to me.  I quickly told him that there was no damn way I could afford to get him a gift even close to that in price, and of course he didn't expect one.  Then I told him that I would love him even if I didn't get me anything at all for Christmas, and he said with a smile, "I know!"

Best. Boyfriend. EVER.

Dustin' off the snowboard tonight, baby!  WOOHOOO!!!

Halloweenie!

I'm LOVING this time of year, BIG TIME!!  

Remember last year in this post when I talked about all of the fun ways I was celebrating Halloween in 2010?  Well, here we go again for 2011!

Firstly - I rented pretty much every classic horror movie I could find.  Friday the 13th, Halloween, Poltergeist, Aliens, The Lost Boys, The House on Haunted Hill, Nightmare on Elm Street. Some I've seen, some I haven't - so I'm getting all caught up!  Last night I watched The Lost Boys, as it's been a while, and I had to revisit my favorite 80's vampire flick.  

 

You know what's creepy too?  I totally used to date a guy who looked exactly like Keifer Sutherland in this movie.  It's really weird.  And kind of awesome.  Needless to say, he was a bit of a "bad boy".  And kind of a dick.  Maybe I actually DID date this character??

A bunch of my friends and I are headed to a big HUGE Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch this weekend out in the boonies, and I can't WAIT!!  There's going to be hay rides, a petting zoo, mazes, (or maizes?  I'm hilarious), pumpkin picking, and hot apple cider.  LOVE IT! 

Speaking of apple cider... 

I stopped at the Market yesterday near my work, and picked up a steaming hot cup of apple cider to read our fantastic book club book "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  It's a strange and eerie novel, but beautifully written, and I absolutely love the characters.  I'm so excited to talk about this one at our next meeting! 
 

Oh, and they give you a whole cinnamon stick with your cider when you get it at this place.  Isn't that rad?

Coming soon (ie - next weekend) will be the Zombie Crawl, which I'm definitely attending - then the Zombie VS Vampires roller derby bout which I'm excited to watch!  I've still been on a bit of a hiatus from derby (takin' a big ol' break), but I'm excited to cheer my girls on. :) 

The weekend after that is HALLOWEEN of course!  We're doing some pumpkin carving, then having our big party!!  I'm so excited.  On top of that, we're also going to drive up to Estes Park and check out the Stanley Hotel - the inspiration for Steven King's book The Shining.  

I have actually been here once before, but I didn't get to take a tour unfortunately.  This time around though, we got tickets to go on a "Ghost & History Tour" which I'm SO excited about!  I love learning about historical locations (huge nerd right here), and ghosts too??  So fun! 

Hopefully we can avoid this guy while we're there.... 

I need to keep working on getting my costume in order, which has been a bit of a challenge since I've been on such a serious budget.  But hopefully I can make it work!  I can't wait for you all to see it. :) 

HAPPY MONTH-OF-HALLOWEEEN!! :D

Apple Pie & Sweet Potato Risotto

Whew!  After that last post, we need some happy happy fun time!

I had a great weekend.  It was cold and very fall-like, but I got to spend a lot of time with friends, chill out, celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving for the first time, and COOK.  Lots of good things!

On Sunday I hit up the Farmer's Market with Stacey.  The Market only runs 'till the last weekend in October, so I intend to get in as much time as I possibly can before it's gone for the winter!

It was a slouchey-knitted hat kind of morning (luckily too - 'cause that meant I didn't need to style my hair).  Ha!  Yay for lazy-hat-wearing-weather! ;)

I picked up a BUNCH of apples while we were there, A) because I LOVE apples, and B) because I decided to make apple pie for the first time!  I also got some locally made apple cider too that I can not get enough of.  It's so delicious, and under "ingredients" on the carton it just says "apples".  And that's the way it should be. 

Once I got all of my goodies home, I started a' cookin'!
I pulled my recipe... (from the How it All Vegan cookbook of course - my favorite!)

....got all of my lovely apples unpacked and ready to go... then peeled & cored them, and chopped them up. 

Like my fuzzy slippers?  Haha!  It was so darn cold in my house since I couldn't figure out how to turn the heat on all weekend.  No, I don't know how to use a thermostat... I've lived in temperature-regulated apartments all my life!  These "house" things are new to me!

 Apples ready to be boiled!  

 The recipe is ridiculously simple, but really amazing.  You'll have to get the cookbook for the full recipe, but it's basically cinnamon, apples, raisins, and the sweetener is maple syrup.  Really simple, but really amazing!  Oh, and some cornstarch to thicken with some of the leftover 'apple water' too.  

Close-up!

 How totally gorgeous is THAT???  I know - I rock.  Ha!  The only thing I didn't make was the pie crust though - I still don't have any patience for that.  But I will soon I promise - it's really a big part of making pies, and I want to do it.  

A very steamy shot.  Again, showing how cold it was in the house!

After popping my super awesome (and almost healthy!) Farmer's Market Apple Pie into the oven, I got started on my Sweet Potato Risotto.  

First off - I've never made risotto before.  I guess it was a weekend of firsts for cooking!  Anyway - I've always been terribly intimidated by it.  I've heard that it's tedious work, a lot of room for error, and just a pain in the beedonk. 

But it turns out - it was easy peasy!  

I mean, sure it takes some time, patience, and a lot of stirring, but it's not like that is hard.  I was thrilled with the way it came out and I'm TOTALLY going to make it again.  This recipe is delicious, and I'm sure it would be great with any kind of vegetable.  

Sweet Potato Risotto 

from Real Simple (photo by Kan Kanbayashi)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped

kosher salt and black pepper
2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces) - optional!  I made mine vegan, and just omitted this, and it still turned out delicious!
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.
Measure 3½ cups of water. Add ¾ cup at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.
Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.

This is how mine looked in the early stages of the recipe... lookin' good!

I also made my favorite Vegan Gravy recipe (which you can find here), so needless to say the house smelled AMAZING with everything cooking.  Another reason why I love this time of year!  

I got to have my first celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving this year with my friend Anna, and a big group of folks.  I was just thrilled to get to celebrate my favorite holiday twice in one year!  Woohoo!  

Anna made a traditional Canadian dish called Poutine.  

It's basically just french fries, covered with cheese curds (she just used mozzarella cheese), and brown gravy. 
If you haven't seen Hannah Hart doing the My Drunk Kitchen cooking of this awesomely indulgent recipe, you absolutely have to:

 Yeah, how amazing does THAT look?  Anyplace where a traditional recipe comes with potatoes, cheese & gravy is A-OK in my book.  Canada ROCKS!

Anna was sweet enough to give me my own little bowl with my vegan gravy too.  It was absolutely delicious! 

After we spent the afternoon stuffing ourselves silly, I came home, took a nice hot bath (although not a very long one since I think I had a reaction to the bath salts I used, and it ended in a fit of coughs!), talked to my mom for a little while, and John since he's been in Chicago this weekend, then snuggled under a blanket with Fudge (the cat), watched about 4 episodes of "Firefly" (which I'm in LOVE with by the way), and enjoyed a nice quiet evening.  

Sigh, I wish it had been longer! 

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

 

Credit card companies SUCK

There are people still out there that think that credit cards are so darn convenient and awesome.  They're there when you need them in an emergency, right?  You can pay it all back later!  Well you know what?  THEY SUCK!!  

As you know, I've been working my ass off trying to get my credit card bills paid off, and get myself out of debt.  Well, it seems easier said then done, because one step forward is always two steps back.

I'm trying to pay off the highest interest balance first.  Which is hard because the amount is barely inching down every month because I still have to pay the minimum balance on the other cards to avoid fees.  So I'm only paying about $50-ish extra towards the high balance every month because that's all I can afford!

Next - one of my smaller "no interest" bills decided to surprise me with deferred interest charges today.  What are deferred interest charges do you ask?  OH, I'm SO glad you asked.  They add up all of the damn interest that you weren't getting charged, then without telling you BAM!!!  They tack it onto your account.  Apparently you have a certain amount you have to have paid off by a certain time, otherwise they charge you ALL OF THAT BACK INTEREST AT ONCE!!  It's complete bullshit.  I thought I had my amount paid down, but then they said "Oh, you still owed $21 on that amount".  So I got charged $200 of back interest.  How does that make any fucking sense???

Sorry - I probably should have warned you that I'd be cursing a lot in this post.

Anyway - I called the company and because I have a good record he reduced it by half (as long as I got the $21 paid by today).  It's still bullshit, but I guess it's better than nothing. 

I just don't understand ANY OF THIS!!  Our country is up to our neck in debt, but the credit card companies just keep making it worse!!  I guess I can't put all of the blame on them since it's our fault that we're spending beyond our means, right?  Maybe not... the price of living is so high right now, and to stay in competition we almost have to spend beyond our means.  I dunno - I could philosophize about this forever, but in the end I've come to two conclusions.....

IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CREDIT CARD NOW - DON'T EVER GET ONE. 
If you can't buy it, then you can't buy it.  Simple as that.

IF YOU HAVE CREDIT CARDS - PAY THEM OFF AND CUT THEM UP. 
That's my goal anyway.... if the fucking companies would LET ME!!

Ugh - needless to say I've been in angry frustrated tears today.  I see my total number inching down little by little, then one day goes by and it jumps up by $200.  It's unbelievably frustrating, and really does make me want to throw up my hands and say "fuck it - I'm just going to be in debt forever just like everyone else".

But I can't do that, because I've done that for ages and it always puts me back in the same place.  I just don't know how to do this.  It's taking so much of my energy, and I feel like I'm working towards the right things and the right goals, but it doesn't seem to be changing anything.  The part-time job is helping a little with getting money towards my debt (I'm pretty much putting all of it towards that), but that's another frustrating thing in itself - I have to keep a second fucking job just to get my debt paid off!

Sigh.

That's all for today.  Hopefully things will look better tomorrow...

*all images found on a google image search for "credit card evil". appropriate, eh? 

"Over the Weekend" (with Butternut Squash Pasta)

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!  

Mine actually turned out more relaxing (and productive) than I expected it to be, which was pretty darn awesome.  

John and I hit up the Farmer's Market by us - it's all over for the year at the end of October!  NOOOOOO!!!!  I'm going to miss the market BIG time.  I love fall / winter, but it'll be hard letting that go.  Luckily there is an indoor market, but it isn't quite the same since, you know, nothing gets harvested in the winter. ;)

How totally gorgeous are these flowers?  I just adore the colors of autumn... 

 John and his ever-fabulous sunglasses.

 More flowers (of course) - sooooo pretty!

We spent all of our cash on fresh fruits & veggies, but we were both super tempted by the food stands!  We pooled together our last $3 and got a mushroom, cheese, onion empinada with homemade spicy relish.  It was delish!  

Only downfall was that afterward my tummy hurt pretty badly... I think I'm having problems with cheese.  See more below about that.

After the Farmer's Market, John and I did some cookin'.  He made sausage-stuffed bacon-wrapped jalapenos (which I did NOT take pictures of, nor partake in - although they smelled heavenly).  I made up my own creation since I had to use my butternut squash that's been sitting on the counter for a month!

Butternut Squash Pasta with Pine Nuts & Goat Cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash, peeled & seeded, cut into 1/2 to 1" chunks

1/2 cup pine nuts 

1 bag of pasta (any kind - I used bowtie) 

Goat cheese

Butter / olive oil

Salt & pepper

Butternut squash soup (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Spread out your butternut squash chunks on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Season with salt & pepper, and place in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes (this can be done ahead of time).  

They should come out looking like this!  Loverly! 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile lightly toast the pine nuts in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat (be VERY CAREFUL to not walk away while doing this - they burn so darn easily!). 

In a small saucepan, melt some butter with some pre-made butternut squash soup.  I just happened to have this in the fridge, so I decided to use it, but feel free to just use butter with a splash of soymilk and a little bit of flour to thicken.  You really don't need much sauce for this recipe - it's really just to add flavor. 

Drain pasta, and put into a bowl.  Mix in the pine nuts and the butternut squash, as well as the "sauce".  Season well with salt & pepper.  Top with crumbled goat cheese. 

This turned out SO delicious, and it will be a perfect meal on a cold winter's day.  Of course it was about 80 degrees when I was having it, but whatevz. ;) 

Again, after eating this, my tummy was doing flip-flops.  I am pretty darn sure it was the cheese.  I've been putting on a few pounds lately - mostly from over-eating and indulging in whatever the heck I want (ice cream, wine, pizza - not necessarily in that order).  I am getting back into a bit of a health-kick for a little while, as my jeans are getting a bit tight!  

Yes, my motivation is that I don't want to buy bigger pants.  I think that's good enough! 

Basic Survival Skills

Last night John and I made a trek out to Boulder to attend a free Basic Survival Skills class at REI.  

It was hosted by Ford Church - the founder of the Cottonwood Institute.  It's a great program, by the way - it helps kids (and adults) get outdoors and explore nature and the world around us!  From the website, it was founded "to inspire young people to initiate positive change in their schools, their communities, and the environment in order to strengthen their civic engagement, environmental stewardship, and leadership skills."

Pretty rad, huh?  Like camp, but WAY better. 

Anyhew, the class really just touched on the basics, but it was a great start for things to know if you ever get stuck in a sticky situation.  Here is a VERY basic list of some of the things I learned. 

1.) Be prepared before you even leave your home.
This seems pretty self-explanatory, right?  You'd be surprised how many people do not leave prepared for their hike in the wilderness.  Basically, have your map (and know how to read it), have your compass (and know how to use it), and ALWAYS tell someone where you're going.  

2.) Always be ready in case of an emergency. 

This means carrying things on your person (not necessarily in your bag, because it could always get lost or fall off a cliff - which has really happened!).  Our instructor says that whenever he goes on a hike or when he's teaching a class, he always has a good knife on a string around his neck, with a matchless striker attached to it in case he needs to start a fire.  Smart smart!!

3.) Shelter comes first. 

If you're lost, and darkness is approaching, food and water are not your top priority.  Staying warm is - and with temperatures dropping significantly in higher elevations at nightfall, well you better be ready!  You need to keep your body away from the ground on some kind of bedding.  You can do this with pine needles then covering yourself with them (it'll make a kind of "convection" of your body heat).  He gave us examples of simple lean-to's and things like that as well.  

4.)  Remember the simple rule of 3's.
3 minutes without AIR
3 hours without SHELTER

3 days without WATER

3 weeks without FOOD

And yes, these are in order of priority. 

We learned much more than that, but those are some of the bare-bones basics that we learned.  I could go into more detail, but I didn't take full notes about everything! ;) 

Some things that Ford suggested for us to always take with us in case of an emergency: 

- 3 different ways to start a fire (ex: strike-anywhere matches in a waterproof container, a lighter, and a matchless striker)

- cottonballs rolled around in petroleum jelly (he said it's a great way to get a fire started - just light the cotton in the middle, and it will burn much longer when it catches the jelly on the outside)

- A good knife

- An army surplus rain jacket (for shelter as a tarp, and many other uses)

- a space wrap (I may be calling this the wrong thing, but it's the really shiny super thin silver sheet that reflects your own body heat.  It can be used to signal for help by reflecting, or to hold in body warmth.)

- A flashlight or LED light (signaling for help - S.O.S.) 

- heavy string / twine (for putting together a shelter)

It was a very informative meeting, and I'm really glad that we went!  I really didn't know as much as I thought I did.  How about that?  

After the lecture, John and I headed out to find some grub.  We ended up at the Walnut Brewery & Restaurant, and enjoyed a pretty fantastic meal!  

We started with spinach & jalapeno cheese dip which was ridiculously good.  John got the 2:00am Burger (topped with hash browns, cheese, bacon and a fried egg - oh, my!), and I got their homemade Veggie Burger.  

Why, yes it's a heart attack on a plate.  But it's SOOOO GOOOOD!

 

 I really think this is one of the best in-restaurant veggie burgers I've ever had.  SO HAPPY that they weren't trying to offer me another damn Boca Burger.  Go for homemade!! :) 

And yes, that's mayo on the side.  Don't judge me. 

We also shared a flight of their beers, John went with the Buffalo Gold, and I got their ROCKtoberfest which was deeeeelish!

All-in-all turned out to be a pretty great date with my fella.  We learned stuff and we ate stuff, and it was pretty damn good!

Tomato, Asparagus, Mushroom Pizza - plus, Das Hustlehoff 5k!

One of my favorite quick-meals to make is pizza with a big 13" tortilla instead of dough.  It's like having a pre-made pizza crust around all the time!  I like to buy the different flavors that they sell at the Farmer's market, but any kind will do.  I can eat a whole one by myself, but if you're watching portions, you could easily split this with someone!  

Tomato, Asparagus & Mushroom Pizza (personal-size)
- 1 13" tortilla
- 1/2 a heirloom tomato (sliced)
- 4-5 mushrooms (sliced)
- 4-5 stalks of asparagus (cut length-wise in half)
- tomato sauce (about 1/3 a cup)
- your choice of cheese (I used a mozzarella / provolone blend, with a little bit of asiago)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, assemble your pizza!  I use a spoon to spread out the sauce, then I do the cheese next, and the vegetable toppings last.  Like so:

I like to arrange everything so it's pretty-like! 

Next, season everything with a little bit of salt & pepper, and garlic salt if desired.  I like to spray the top with oil as well. 

Pop it in the oven and cook for about 5-10 minutes!  When the edges start getting crispy, it's ready to go.  Let it cool for a minute before cutting too - it makes it a little easier since the tortilla makes for a flimsy crust.  Using a large spatula, carefully lift each piece and transfer to a plate.  Enjoy!

Yep, I may have to have this again for dinner tonight!  YUM!

On another non-food related note - Fall is definitely here!  I loved the wind rustling through the leaves outside my work the other day that I took a pic while relaxing on my break... 

More lovely fall pictures to come soon! 

OH, and did I mention that Stacey & I finished our 5k last weekend??? Well we did!!  It was for the Das Hustlehoff 5k in downtown Denver - for Oktoberfest.  They encouraged people to come "in costume" so naturally, I did!  What's funny is that I already owned that costume - I've had it under my bed for ages just in case I needed it.  It came in handy after all! 

 

I love these shots of us crossing the finish line together.  We're so damn happy!  We finished in 33 minutes 38 seconds - no walking.  I was elated, and we already signed up for our next race!  WE ROCK!! :)

Stacey & I celebrating with free beer after the race.  I'm so proud of us!