A Dose of San Diego Sunshine

Greetings from San Diego!

One of my good friends from when I used to live down here is having a baby very, very soon, so I decided to make a trip down south for her baby shower. Crystal is also along for the ride (she and I met when we both lived down here). Today, we took advantage of the hot, sunny weather and went from a run along one of my old favorite routes, a 5k loop from Little Italy down to the Embarcadero and back.

Tank: Under Armour [similar]

Sports bra: Lululemon [similar]

Pants: GapFit [similar]

Shoes: Newton Running [exact]

Sunglasses: Oakley [exact]

Since I'm used to running in San Francisco's permanent spring/fall weather, the heat took its toll today! It was not a very fast run for me, and I was sweating quite a bit by the end. Fortunately, this tank top is vented in the back, so it was a great choice for a warm day. I think shorts would've been a better option for the bottom half of my outfit, though. 

Crystal and me mid-run at Seaport Village

Here's hoping that the rest of the weekend has equally beautiful weather!

California Love

Missing California today. Enjoy the photos :)

Greetings from 30,000 Feet: Part 3

Check out Part 1 and Part 2!

When I got on my laptop the next day, I saw an email in response to a job I had applied for at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. I had applied on a whim after Karen had sent the job description to me, figuring there was no way I’d get a job there since I wasn’t exactly an expert on skiing and snowboarding. But, they wanted to interview me! So, I emailed them back, detailing my travel schedule and when I could talk. I ended up having my first interview in San Diego airport the next day, since I’d opted to head home to Indiana for a week after London with my newly open schedule.

Side note: I got upgraded to BusinessElite on Delta on my flight home from London. BEST. FLIGHT. EVER. After drinking my welcome champagne, I read a newspaper they provided me with, had a four-course meal with an ice cream sundae bar and a flight attendant constantly refilling my wine glass, watched several movies and slept in my lie-flat seat. They also provided me with a down comforter, amenity kit (with sleep mask, ear plugs, toiletries, etc.) and noise cancelling headphones. Awesome!

My first interview went well, but I was still skeptical about how qualified I was for the position, so I kept applying for jobs and applied for unemployment benefits.

Lo and behold, shortly after I applied for unemployment benefits, they called and offered me the job!

So, the first order of business upon returning to San Diego (well, other than getting a nice tan before heading to the mountains) was arranging everything because I was moving to Park City, Utah!

I was rather skeptical about moving to Utah (I’m noticing the word “skeptical” a lot here…but hey, it all worked out) because I’d never been north of I-70 in that state (and that was just when I was driving from Colorado to San Diego). Everything south of I-70 is desert and there’s very little population to be seen. Still, everyone insisted that Salt Lake City was a “real city,” so I went for it.

I moved to a city I’d never seen.

Even for me, that was a bit of a leap of faith! I’ve moved plenty of times…last time, I’d only been to San Diego once and that was for the job interview. But sight unseen when I could possibly end up living there for years? This was definitely a first for me.

Mom flew out and made the drive to Park City with me in a VERY packed car. I didn’t take anything that wouldn’t fit in my car, although Karen did ship a few small things to me.

And so far, Park City is treating me well!

Work is going well. The people I work with are excellent and very friendly. The mountain landscapes are gorgeous. I found an amazing place to stay with two roommates who seem like they’ll be a good match. And, of course, it’s all at a fraction of San Diego rental costs!

Now, I’m on a plane headed to New York City for the weekend. Tonight, I’m hanging out with my Uncle Jeff and exploring parts of the city that I haven’t seen (since last time I was there, I didn’t leave Manhattan except to go to the airport). Tomorrow, I’m celebrating my friend Margaux’s 21^st birthday! I fly back to SLC on Monday night.

Phew. There’s the lowdown on my life. And all it took was a 4.5-hour plane ride to get it out of me :)

Thanks for following and thanks for listening…hope you all enjoy the randomness that is the life of Riley!

Next Stop: Park City

I'm pleased to announce that I've accepted a position as Communications Coordinator with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association in Park City, UT!

So, it's back to the mountains for me!  I'm moving in a week!  It's a little crazy to think I only have a week left in San Diego.

I'll definitely miss San Diego, but I'm hoping to take a few weekend trips back when winter kicks in...goodness knows I'll need a break from my return to real winter!!

Let the next great adventure begin!

Pink Triathlete

So, as some of you might know, this time last year, I was starting to train for a sprint triathlon. My sister had signed up for one in Indy, so I decided to do it with her.  However, I ended up getting my job out here in San Diego and spent the weekend that I would have been doing a triathlon moving instead!

Ever since then, I've been wanting to get more involved in triathlon. Honestly, one of the only reasons I run is because it is a part of triathlon (and it's much cheaper than joining a gym and lets me enjoy San Diego's amazing weather). A week ago, my friend Larkin asked if I wanted to go swim La Jolla Cove...and despite it's horribly cold temperatures (for someone like me who grew up swimming in the Gulf of Mexico), I went.  Again, this was primarily because I knew open water swimming was a fact of life in triathlon.

Yesterday, I did my first aquathon!  It's a run-swim that the San Diego Tri Club puts on to help people train for triathlons.  Larkin again invited me, and it was HARD!! But motivated me to get more into training.  I've started to realize, too, that everything triathlon-related I own is pink.

So there you have it...Riley the Pink Triathlete.  Or, more appropriately, Riley the Pink Hopeful Triathlete.

Ragnar Relay: 203 Miles, 12 Runners, 2 Vans

This weekend, I did something I never in a million years would have thought I'd do.  I participated in a 203-mile relay race from Huntington Beach to Coronado that took about 30 hours to complete...the Ragnar Relay.  There were 12 runners (I was runner #6) and we were divided into 2 vans.

Van #1...Mike, Ashley, me, Larkin, Kyle and Adam

We started off at 10am in Huntington Beach...Mike was runner #1.  He was a last-minute replacement after one of our other runners got injured, but man, did he deliver! He was fresh off of the Boston Marathon and truly was the heart and soul of our van! He drove most of the time, kept us laughing and ran 6-minute miles!  Adam also made some amazing time, but unfortunately, we left him waiting for 20 minutes at Exchange #2 after getting lost!  Despite the fact that we continued to have issues with our exchanges, we still made great time and finished at just over a 9-minute mile pace (pretty amazing considering we lost about an hour on exchange problems and there were some pretty serious mountain climbs in there!).

My Ludus Tours Ragnar manicure

My legs were 2.7 miles through Anaheim (pretty rough in the 1pm heat...no water stops, so I was dying a little!), 7.4 miles through the mountains by Temecula (at 2am...super tough hills, but my favorite leg because the nighttime weather was amazing and my vanmates provided unbeatable support!) and 4.2 miles straight up Torrey Pines hill in La Jolla (my legs were shot after the Temecula portion, so it was difficult, but I managed to find a second wind once I got to the top of the hill).  Since we had to drive the van from exchange to exchange, you really didn't get time to stretch much post-run, which made for some VERY sore muscles!! I'll definitely be investing in some compression gear for next year!

Getting my run on in Anaheim

All in all, though, it was an AMAZING experience. I couldn't have asked for a better team!  Being in a van with 6 people for 30 hours without sleep is a pretty excellent teambuilding experience.  I felt like I got to know everyone better!

Ash, me and Larkin...the ladies of Van #1

Looking back on the whole experience, I don't think of my cramping legs or how awful they felt attempting to scale Torrey Pines.  All I think of is deliriously laughing in the van, trying to find our teammates in the pitch black night to cheer for them and continuing to bond with everyone at Erin's housewarming party/Ragnar afterparty.  It was such a great time!! I cannot wait for next year!!

Best. Team. Ever.

Sister Visit!

 A few weeks ago, my lovely sister decided to pay me a visit for her spring break!

Awww...isn't she so cute??

That's us with the seals at La Jolla Cove! Unfortunately, my camera deleted most of our pictures together, but we have a few!

We had SO much fun!  We ate at just about every good restaurant I could think of, explored all the sights from Del Mar down to Coronado, shopped and watched The West Wing (I successfully got her addicted to it!).  I was super sad to see my sistradre go...hopefully I can convince her to join the west coast contingent of the family  :)

That's it for my mini update at the moment! I'll post more info soon!

Running

Today, something happened that has never happened before in my life.

I ran...and I enjoyed it.

For the past 25 years of my life, running and I have not been friends.  I had asthma, occasionally broke out in hives mid-run, got dizzy, etc. Basically, running meant feeling like I was dying, and I was never really a fan of that.  So I biked, ellipticalled, speedskated, lifted and did just about any exercise I could think of in order to avoid running and still stay healthy.

Fast forward to last year.  My sister inspired me to sign up for a sprint triathlon.  Despite my dislike of running, I started attempting a little 5k loop in Colorado Springs (the Jack Quinn's loop for those of you Colorado Springs folks out there).  It didn't really stick, though, and when I decided to move to San Diego (thus making me unable to do the triathlon), I got out of the habit.

Now, San Diego has AMAZING weather.  Going to a gym here feels like it should be a crime since there's gorgeous parks and beaches to enjoy.  So, after having little success when it came to finding a decent local gym with a pool, I decided I was going to suck it up and run.  First, it was just a weekly run when I felt guilty about being lazy.  Then my friend Karen and I got the crazy idea to sign up for a half marathon.

The first month of training sucked...same old feeling like dying while running.  But, I had promised Karen I'd train with her, so I stuck with it (as much as I've always been a loner when it comes to working out, having a running buddy has been infinitely helpful if for no other reason than it forces me to get out of bed and run).

A few weeks ago, I got a shin splint in my right leg.  It was painful and forced me to reassess my old running shoes (old trail shoes that I used to use on the Incline!).  After two weeks off, I was ready to put my new shoes to use, so I was kind of looking forward to running again (yes, new workout clothes/shoes/etc. are a guaranteed way to get me to work out).  Not really the feeling of it, but the whole health factor.  I had signed up for a 5k in Crown Point last Saturday, so I figured that was the perfect time to jump back in.  It wasn't a very long run, the course was flat and I could always walk if I needed to.

I ended up running the whole 5k without stopping (an achievement for me, since my generally horrible attitude with running usually results in me stopping and walking just because I don't like running) and got a personal best time.  So, when I went to do my training run today, I figured I'd at least run for the first 3.2 miles since I knew I could.

Then I ended up running 4.05 miles and still felt like I could run more...only I had to get back to work!  I was smiling during my run.  I wasn't mentally tallying how many songs had played so far and trying to calculate how that translated into miles.  I wasn't thinking about how much I had left.  Instead, I was looking at the sailboats in the harbor.  I was humming along to songs absentmindedly.  I was people watching and wondering whether they were tourists or business travelers.

Somehow, all the things that typically distract me melted away.  And I just ran.

That's not to say running is going to magically be awesome every time I do it now.  But...it was awesome today, and now I know that it can be fun.  And after all, if it can be today, I know it can be tomorrow, too!

Holidays and Getaways

Long time, no talk!

Well, I'm back.  Life has been keeping me pretty busy! Since I last wrote, I've been back to Indiana, Colorado Springs, back to Indiana, down to Florida and back to Indiana again!  Of  course, now I'm back home in sunny San Diego, where I could not ask for more amazing weather.  It would be nice to be in Indy to see all the Super Bowl festivities, though!

Thanksgiving 2011 - Indianapolis

I was reunited with my baby Lolers! It took a few days, but she went right back to following me around and being my little cuddler!  It was tough to say bye to her again.

I also got to see my whole extended family for the first time in quite awhile (the last time I'd been home was 4th of July).  My grandma has been having some serious health problems since then, so I was most excited to see her!  We all went out to dinner before I left at McCormick and Schmick's downtown so that she could get out and see the lights around downtown.  It was a lovely quick trip home!

Weekend Trip - Colorado Springs

I made a random trip back to Colorado to visit with Margaux.  We had a fun-filled weekend of Christmas celebrations, charity events and cooking!  It was great to see her and to exchange gifts and just hang out.  As usual, the weekend ended much too soon!

Christmas/New Year's 2011/2012 - Indiana/Florida/Indiana

I flew to Indiana on Christmas Eve, had a whirlwind Christmas Day filled with family, then loaded up the car and headed south with my brother, sister and their respective significant others, Mike and Aly (my parents drove separately).  Our car ride was filled with letter games, AWOLNATION, me not sleeping (and thus keeping Jordan awake since he was driving) and old school music.  

When we got to Florida, it was a true vacation.  We slept in, stayed out late and spent the days on the beach. It was total relaxation!  I have no complaints...quality time with family and got to know Mike and Aly better!

Two weekends ago, I had my first visitor here in San Diego.  My dad came out for the Carlsbad Half Marathon and I got to show him around!  It was so much fun!  We went to the USS Midway (since there was a rare rainy day one of the days he was here), experienced the best of San Diego cuisine (including In 'N Out Burger, which Dad just HAD to have!) and explored.  We got a taste of theater at the Old Globe in Balboa Park and enjoyed the beautiful oceanside run in Carlsbad.  It was sad to say bye to him!  I wish I could bring all my family out here!!

That's the update for now...I'll try to be better about updating in the future!

Lately

Life is good.

It's been awhile, but I can say that right now, I am very, very happy with my life.  I love my job and my coworkers have become great friends who I spend my weekends with, too.  I love where I live...San Diego is a fantastic, laid-back city with everything I could ever need only a twenty-minute car ride away. Hillcrest has virtually everything I need within a few blocks!

Last night, for example...I rode my bike home through Balboa Park with Josh and Karen, two coworkers. Then, I stopped by my house to drop off my bike, then walked to Trader Joe's. On the way back, I got frozen yogurt. When I got home, I talked for a long time with my roommate, Anne, swapping crazy family holiday stories.

Today at lunch, I was talking to my friend Ashley while we walked to Mona Lisa (an amazing Italian deli in Little Italy). We both echoed the same sentiments about being mid-twenties, single and in the more urban areas of San Diego. Basically, we both love being free. I know that is vague and sounds strange, but think about it. Most of my friends are at work, so if I want to make plans, I just ask around at the office and there's generally someone who's up for a drink or a night out. If I want to be lazy and just have a TV night in, I do that. But there's always company when it's wanted or needed, and we've got each others' backs. One of our company core values is, "Treat each other like family." The Ludus team does that every single day without trying.

Now I sound like I'm writing one of my work blogs. But, that's just another thing to illustrate how happy I am with where I am right now. I mean those things I write in the Ludus blog about it being awesome.

Like I said...life is good :)

Headed to Hillcrest

No more PB for me!

Shortly after the roommate who I replaced moved out, she got evicted from her new apartment. Instead of looking for a new place, she took advantage of the fact that she still had her housekey and just moved onto our couch without asking anyone.  We're understanding people and let her stay.  But, over the past several weeks, she suddenly decided to take her frustration with other aspects of her life out on me.

Without getting into the details, she treated me very, very poorly for a week, culminating in several uncalled-for text messages that made me question my safety in the house.  I wasn't technically on a lease yet, so I was able to tell the landlord I was moving out by the end of the month and ended up finding an adorable little place in Hillcrest (a more inland, urbanized area with cute stores and a lot of culture) almost immediately.

I'm moving this weekend!

Here's some pictures :)

Once I actually have things in my room and it's more to look at than just empty space, I'll post pictures of it!

Working Life

As promised, here's a little work update from San Diego!

I'm working at Ludus Sports, a travel and hospitality company that sells travel packages to the Olympic Games, Oktoberfest, Running of the Bulls, World Cup events and other major international sports and cultural events. So far, I'm loving it! I love the people and I love the work! That's not to say I haven't had my little road bumps already (I have), but, as always, you just have to learn and grow from them!

My desk when I first started working...it's a little messier now.

Two of my coworkers, Lindsay and Melinda

My boss's daughter, my co-worker (and roommate!) Larkin and me at a Padres game...the whole office went as a fun little trip!

In other happy news, Margaux won gold at Pan Ams and qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games!! So excited for her :)

"This could be paradise..."

I'm FINALLY updating!  I know it's been awhile, but it's been pretty chaotic settling in.  I went back to Colorado and got all of my things packed up a few weeks ago, and all of those things finally arrived last night.  It was a hectic night of unpacking...and let me tell you, consolidating an entire apartment (even if it was tiny) into a small bedroom is no small task!

I also managed to get out and take the pictures I've been promising since I moved!  I really want to get to the beach late at night one of these nights because there's some algae causing the waves to glow right now.  Night photography is definitely not my forte, but I definitely want to try to capture something cool like glow-in-the-dark waves!  Shouldn't be too hard since I live 2 blocks from the ocean!

Life has been very stressful, but I am finding my niche here in San Diego courtesy of my amazing roommates and coworkers.  It's been a struggle trying to make new friends and figure out how to grow with the older friends who have now become long distance.  It has not been easy at all, and I have not handled myself the best, either. I just have to hope that the friendships I have made are strong enough to last through a few big speed bumps.  As is usual for me, I've found some solace from these stresses in music, particularly Coldplay's new song "Paradise." 

"So lying underneath those stormy skies, she'd say, 'Oh, I know the sun must set to rise.'"

It's sort of an optimistic take on dealing with bad things.  Yes, I might be stressed and dealing with a lot right now (although I have many positives to be grateful for, too), there's a sunrise around the corner.  You just have to stick it out to get there.

I'll post an update on work before too much longer...want to snap some photos around the office before posting on that! But...I am loving the new job!

That's it for now!

A Warm Welcome

I'm all moved to San Diego! I'm currently living in Pacific Beach (better known locally as PB).  I haven't gotten the chance to get out and take a lot of pictures yet, but I'm hoping to do that soon!

Work is going really well.  As is to be expected with a new job, it got off to a slightly slow start since I had to get set up with all the right software, logins, etc, but now it's picking up and I'm setting some good goals for myself!  If you haven't yet, go like the Ludus Tours page on Facebook...part of my goal for this week involves getting those counts up!

I'll give a more substantial (and photographic) update soon...but just wanted to let everyone know that I am alive, well and loving San Diego!

New Adventures

I'm setting off on a new adventure in two weeks...I accepted a position as Marketing and PR Coordinator at Ludus Tours in San Diego, California!

It'll be an interesting journey.  I know virtually nothing about San Diego, but moving to a new city is never something that's bothered me.  This will be my first time moving somewhere without a secured place to live, though, so that will certainly be interesting! Fortunately, the company I'm going to be working with has some great employees who are willing to lend me their couches while I apartment hunt when I first get out there! 

I'll also be dealing with a higher cost of living, California traffic (I hear it's bad...could be wrong), year-round 75-degree weather, beaches AND mountains...definitely a lot of new things!  I will miss my Colorado friends so much, but true friends aren't going to go anywhere just because they are physically not in the same place.

Excited to start this new chapter in my life!