eggs and aloe

Sa 10.20.12

• tried my hand at Eggs Florentine

• I swear the sauce looked more vibrant in real life
• the best part was exploding the poached egg 

• used a Giada recipe from a Women's Health magazine I have here
• in total, the recipe called for 5 tsp of salt - eek (divided...3 were used to boil the water for egg poaching)...
• tried to use a bit less, but was still very salty...
• the combination of the panceta, the Romano cheese, and salty Argentinean rolls made it a bit difficult to eat, but a fun recipe to try 

Su 10.21.12

• made a checklist of things to get done today...laundry, make granola, Spanish homework, schoolwork, Skype, trip planning...etc.
• THIS:

• was not on our list

• Jake felt our aloe plant was getting unruly
• so he took it upon himself to chop it up...

•  put some of it in another pot...

•  and filet the rest of it for later use

•  he really wishes we had a blender down here so we could add it to fruit smoothies
• but come on, we're not rich enough to own a blender down here
• so we'll probably be infusing water with aloe chunks
• yum

• we'll let you know how it turns out...
• happy weekend everyone! (oh, and today is Mothers Day in Argentina...so Happy Mothers Day moms!)

mi cumple - 29

M 10.8.12

• I first have to share this photo...of me boxing up my Garmin watch, Jake's gift to me on our wedding day...haha

• it had a good 2 year life with me, but now with a broken strap, it's time to send it in for a refurbished one...so long wedding Garmin!
• p.s...today we did not have school = mend tired legs and do all the work we didn't do on Sa and Su (like bake cookies to bring to school tomorrow)

Tu 10.9.12

• Jake woke me with a lovely birthday breakfast delight:
• scrambled eggs with goat cheese and scallions, coffee...

• ...and a puffed pancake topped with powdered sugar, kiwi, and cumquats (these pix deserved close-up views)

• he also got us tickets to Cirque du Soleil for later that night...could hardly wait!  have been wanting to see a Cirque du Soleil show for quite a while!
• he also gifted me a lovely book about cooking/food (love), PEANUT BUTTER!, and Toddy chocolate chip cookies (these Argentinean galletas are so terribly processed and delicious...it's sick...I wouldn't recommend trying them...you may not be able to stop)

• off to work Jake went, and I slowly made my way out of bed to prepare for a private class I had that morning
• then it was off to Septiembre, then Nightingale, and when I arrived home...look what Jake was sitting in when I opened the door!:

note the blue roses...how original

• my chair para tomar sol! had to test it out and imagine I was soaking up the summer sun on our terrace
• Jake had planned a little picnic before the show, but as the weather was a bit rainy, we instead had the picnic at home...vino with yummy meat, cheese and bread
• we hopped in a cab to the 9pm show...

• ...and spent the next 2+ hours being wowed and amazed by the athleticism, flexibility, strength, talent, and concentration each performer exhibited 

Title of the Show: VAREKAI

wasn't supposed to take pictures inside, but snapped this shot of the stage before the show began

• ooooh! aaaaahh!! wow...what a cool show!  cannot wait for the next one

gives a tiny glimpse of the costumes, flexibility, strength...etc.

• and of course, the birthday would not be complete without a little happy tune and blowing out of the...match that Jake lit

• Jake kindof/sortof singing :)

check out that cake...choco torta dulce de leche with cherries on top...que rico!

• the rest of the week was bit hectic and a little stressful (had mucho Gala aka play practice with 7th graders...got the big show coming up next week...where's Lauren Condon when I need her?!)

Sa 10.13.12

• but thank goodness I had this:

not just the man, but the chair too! I'm a lucky girl

• ...to look forward to...lots of sun time, lots of patio time, and lots of time to test out my new reposera playera (beach leaning chair)
• then guess what happened...
• JAKE SURPRISED ME!
• well actually, Jake, Johanna, and Jonathan
• I couldn't believe it...usually if Jake's tries to surprise me, I kind of have a feeling something is going on...but I really had no idea this time
• we relaxed all day Saturday, then I had suggested ordering pizza for dinner (which worked well with Jake's plan)...
• ...he had Johanna and Jonathan buzz in and pretend to be our door man, asking for help downstairs, so when he came back up, he brought friends along!

thanks so much for the balloon, cake, snacks and drinks!!! :)

• we had a great night of an intense Irish win (thanks guys for letting me watch the end of the game), pizza, snacks, drinks, cake, and even a little mini-firepit time

• Jonathan's an "early-to-bed" kind of guy...Johanna knew it was time to go when we looked over and saw him like this:

• ...and like this:

• hehe...
• all-in-all...a WONDERFUL birthday...such great, caring messages from loved ones, and special memories made here in Argentina with Jake and friends...I'm so lucky
• thank you to everyone!
• 29's going to be great!

el maratón - 42k

• this is hard to write about
• I've put it off all week
• it's something we've been preparing for and talking about, for so long...
• ...and now it's over, so let me tell you about it
• I think I need to start with:

F 10.5.12

• we decided to double check the race website to see exactly what we needed for the next day's packet pick-up
• it listed the usual proof of payment documents, ID card, and then a certificado medico... a signed doctor's note that was supposed to be sealed and stamped
• we didn't have this
• so we spent too much time doing research, contacting friends to get advice on where we could do at the last minute, and...
• not much luck...so we went to bed
• [these photos have nothing to do with the marathon, but Jake dreamt of having a fire pit on our terrace for cooking and enjoying evenings outside by the fire...he found this little guy online, it arrived today, so we had to test it out...now we just need someone to send us some marshmallows for roasting!]

Jake picking twigs off of our dead plant = great firewood! 

Sa. 10.6.12

• Jake got up early to make some phone calls to hospitals, clinics, even our gym where we had gotten a basic physical earlier this year...after about 5 failed attempts, we decided to just go to the expo and play "dumb American"
• we didn't really even need to play dumb...runners that didn't have their doctor's note simply had to sign a waiver...

we <3 south america

• ...Jake had a few words with the lady who gave us these...why wouldn't they just offer this in the first place!?!? a few hours wasted and some sleep lost...oh well, we get to run tomorrow
• Jake getting our "kit" aka race packet with great success:

*guy in the red shirt

• what?! getting your name on the back of your shirt is gratis! (free) bring it on!

• but what to put...Jake really wished we had found an American flag to don somehow on race day
• but we settled for the free writing on our shirts...and went with "Yanqui" and proud to be

• we then contributed to the wall of "tweets"/messages...(not sure what they ended up doing with these...but we played along)

•  our messages:

• don't know this kid, but the board behind him gives you an idea of the course:

•  exiting the expo...very happy and relieved that everything went well despite the absence of our certificados medicos

• now just one more thing left to cross off...

• more preparation ensued...most importantly, the infamous carb-loading 
• thank goodness for our last pack of Trader Joe's wheat pasta!
• sautéed any veggies left in the fridge

•  and voilá! a pre-marathon race meal!

• it was pretty tough to go to bed early with a niece's 5th birthday to celebrate over Skype, the Irish kicking some booty in Chicago, and race nerves/excitement beginning to take over
• ...but we managed to get some sleep

Su 10.7.12

• YANQUIS ready to run!

• arrived at the starting area early enough, but a little too close for comfort...
• ...got our bearings, then got in line for the port-a-pots

• wasn't a fan of the women's line...especially with the kind lady trying to budge...I kept stepping in front of her and after her 3rd attempt she said something to me in Spanish, all I heard was "tranquilo" which means 'calm down'...alright lady, how about YOU calm down...our pot opened up and she went ahead and budged in front of me and two other women...good grief! (we ended up passing right by her within the first 10k of the race...HA! take that, tranquilo)
• I was also a little stressed about not being able to find the pre-race stage 1 Gatorade 01 Prime that was supposed to be handed out before the race (the same stuff we drank before the half)...
• we ended up running out of time, so had to deal without one last burst of fuel
• so we checked our bags...and made our way to the start line
• one last photo...see ya in about 4 hours!

• 7:30am...here we go!  

• was hard to get into our pace at first due to the crowds, which is normal, but within 1-2 miles, we were on our way

• temperature was mid-50s, it was cloudy with a light drizzle off and on during the the whole race...really couldn't ask for much better weather
• my cold was under control by now, but still taking medicine and had numerous "farmer's blow" experiences throughout the race...sorry to those running near me, especially the husband
• feeling great (keeping pace around 8:30/miles) until about the halfway point
• I did however, have a pesky side ache off and on during the race that was hard to ignore at times...
• these people DEFINITELY helped move us along...

Johanna holding sign, Jonathan taking photo

• saw them twice...just after the half-way mark, then again a bit later...*THANK YOU JOHANNA AND JONATHAN FOR BEING OUR SUPER-DUPER CHEERLEADERS!!! :)

look how happy we are!

• once we were getting into miles 15, 16, 17...our pace was inching up more toward 9min/miles because of me, not Jake

• was really feeling my right heel (self-diagnosed plantar fasciitis about 4 weeks into training) among other pains in the ol' legs

• kept chugging along miles 18, 19, and 20...when I decided to look at my watch and see 3:00:00...WHAT?! we still have at least 45 minutes to go!? oh dear Lord...
• this is where a runner really needs to dig deep...many call this point in the race "the wall"
• I just think of it as lack of patience on my part...really needed to keep reminding myself to stay in the moment, one step at a time, keep my body as comfortable and strong-feeling/looking as possible...all mental from here

• we made it to the lake loop (38k, ~mile 23) which in my head, when seeing it on the map, you're basically done...but in reality, it's still (or only) about 25-30 minutes more...all a mental game

see the lake?

• as we were rounding the lake Jake started having calf cramps/spasms...this happened quite a few times...I encouraged him to slow down, walk or stop and stretch if needed...
• ...but this super strong mentally tough guy kept on going...Jake was in this race...kept a very positive attitude and ran through the pain...
• (I, mind you, was digging as deep as humanly possible to find the positive thoughts to help get me to the finish...I was very negative about the last loop around, seeing other runners parallel to us, already on their way to the finish...very hard for me to stay in the moment...the thought, "I hate this, I'm never doing another marathon." even went through my head, ashamed to admit.  Jake was the true champ here.)
• ...until about the 40k mark (24.85 mile)...the last turn before the 2k stretch to the finish...Jake's hamstring locked up
• a quick stop to stretch was necessary, a bit of walking, then Jake somehow found strength to finish off the last 1.5 k with a strong jog...

• I'm so proud of him
• we finished in 3:53:26 (according to the Garmin)
• not our preferred time (kinda hoping to get under 3:45:00) due to the pace we trained at, but we'll take it
• we made our way through the shoot...collected our Gatorades, sugary cereal bars, medals, and finally a plastic Adidas wrap to help with the shivers
• we found a spot in the wet grass to stretch...boy, were we in pain
• while we took turns stretching each other out a strong stench drew our attention to the unfortunate consequence of a port-a-potty simply too far away
• our cold bodies craved dry, warm clothes, a shower, and nourishment, so we quickly changed and got on a bus home
• could hardly wait for our lunch date with friends at El Malvón 
• Johanna rewarded us with a jar of peanut butter...such a great friend 

• Jake digging in to his Fritata Francesca (concoction of eggs, mushrooms, pecans, brie, and arugula....yum)

• my Croque Monsieur (cheesy gooey sandwich with ham and gruyere)...café con leche, some sort of fruit granola thing...and some pretty delicious cheesy potatoes

• the group, minus Elena (sorry Elena) who also ran the race (great job!)

• brought this little guy home for later, along with rosemary focaccia bread and a loaf of olive bread...El Malvón really rocks it when it comes to bread and carrot cake

• so, we're officially done!

• and we're so happy

• putting away the running shoes for a bit... (for me, maybe a week...for Jake? not sure...)

• bittersweet feeling to be done
• will there be another marathon for us? maybe, maybe not...we will just have to see