Taste of Adams Avenue

Yesterday Todd and I went to the Taste of Adams Avenue. I was sort of indifferent about it when Todd told me about the event, but he seemed really interested, so he got tickets and we went. Todd mentioned to his work friend Cassie last week and she and her husband Dan were interested, so we met up with them down there.

First we went to pick up our punch tickets and maps.


Then we stopped at Blind Lady Ale House for a piece of marquerite pizza.  Sorry for the blurry photo.

It was okay. The sauce was salty with no tangy-ness. I like my pizza sauce a little bit tangy.

Next was Mariposa Ice Cream. I had been looking forward to this one because I've heard such good things about this all natural homemade ice cream store.

I got coffee and coconut... both delicious! The owners were super-generous too. They didn't punch our card and said we could keep going back for more ice cream during the taste event.

Up next was Tam's Thai and Laotian Food. The owners were super-nice.

We got treated to sticky rice, egg roll, and egg-wrapped shrimp. It was yummy!

Next was DiMille's Italian Restaurant. They were very generous with their taste and we got to taste many different dishes.

There was artichoke pizza, meatball in marinara sauce, pesto pasta, tomato cream sauce pasta, rigatoni, and chicken marsala.

Next was Cafe Cabaret.

They served some sort of bean dip with cheese in it, with pita bread strips. Todd skipped it because there was cheese. It was okay.

Next was Kensington Grill. We had heard such good things about this restaurant that we were really looking forward to this!

They served lamb meatballs in kumquat chile marmalade. It was delicious!

Next was Kensington Cafe.

They served some sort of tortilla rollup with soyrizo, avocado, and potato inside.

Next was Burger Lounge! Oh I believe you've seen many Burger Lounge burgers on this blog before!

But the story turns sad here, at least for Todd.  They gave us cheeseburger sliders, good sized ones too.  But no burgers without cheese, so Todd was totally out of luck.  He had a couple of cheese-less bites off my burger, but that only made him miss the Burger Lounge even more.  Poor guy!  The restaurant should have prepared for the cheese-haters!

Next was Bleu Boheme, a French restaurant. This place had a great atmosphere, with a huge black chalkboard on one side of the wall.

The black things were escargot! This was a first for me, eating snails on top of a bed of blue cheese mashed potatoes. That is, the snails were new to me, not mashed potatoes! I was the only person in our party of four who tried the escargot. Everyone else was too chicken. But surprisingly, it did NOT taste like chicken! It was soft, a little bit chewy, like a mushroom.

Next was Ponce's Mexican Restaurant. They served a carnitas taco, which I gave to Todd because I was getting full, plus he didn't get to have a burger at Burger Lounge.


We took a break to wait for the trolley to take us down the street to the next restaurant.

But then we waited and waited and the trolley never came, so we kept walking.

After a stop at the 7-Eleven for a slurpie, next up was El Zarape. We love the other El Zarape in North Park, so we knew we'd love it here.

Mmm... carne asada and chicken asada! I gave Todd my chicken.

Next up was The Incredible Cheesecake Company! With a name like that, who could resist??

Todd doesn't eat cheese, unless it's with sugar, so he took two pieces, LOL. I had this white chocolate raspberry piece, while he had this kind plus a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. Major delish!

Next was Jayne's Gastropub. We had heard good things about this place too.

They served us traditional bangers and mash: grilled Irish pork sausage, garlic mashed potatoes with onion gravy. By now we were pretty darn full and couldn't eat it all.

Next was Senor Mangos. We got pineapple mango smoothies!


Next up was Twiggs. We love the Twiggs in North Park, so this was a no-brainer. Plus, they made our cake for our 10th wedding anniversary party on a boat and delivered the cake all the way to the boat, so they get my two thumbs WAY up! Plus, Todd used to play at the Twiggs open mic, and that's how he met up with Matt and played in the band The Northstar Session.

I had some kind of lemon cream cake.


Todd had chocolate cake with real cinnamon icing.


Next was Cafe 21. I ate half of a ravioli thing with mushrooms and egg in it. Todd skipped it!


Our last stop was Lestat's. We had some iced coffee and brownie bites here.

There's a funny story here. A couple of years ago, Todd was playing music there and took a break outside, when he was openly disparaged for being blonde by a group of vampire-looking cape-wearing people. True story!

Well, I'm exhausted just blogging about this! It was a super-fun time and one of the best "Taste Of" that I've ever attended! It was doubly fun because Cassie and Dan came with us!

After we went home and rested our tummies, we went to Miramar Lake for a workout. I mean really, we would have been kind of disgusting if we ate all that food and just sat around on the couch.

I ran for the first time since my half marathon on 6/6 and I felt great. My legs didn't hurt at all. I ran four miles in 44 minutes, taking it easy.


Todd got to ride his new (used) bike for the first time and he was super-excited! I saw him at one point and took a photo.

He went for over 13 miles. You can read how he felt about it on his blog here.

I finished running first and saw a great opportunity for a sunset photo.


Todd after his bike ride.


So today, after a six month long absence from Daily Plate, I'm back on the wagon. Need to lose a few pounds, LOL. I had planned this all along, so the Taste of Adams Avenue was sort of my last hurrah for a while. Today I started tracking calories again. It worked for me last year when I lost about 5 lbs before I fell off the wagon b/c of vacation and holidays. Wish me luck... because we all know how much I love food. :p

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An Old Love Returns

So some of you may be wondering what I was doing this past Saturday morning, now that I've run the Rock N Roll San Diego Half Marathon and finished five months of training? No? Well, I'm going to tell you anyways, LOL.

I decided to revive an old love of mine: knitting and crocheting. I first learned to crochet almost 20 years ago. I didn't pick it back up for a long time. Then in 2005 I learned to knit and did that for quite a while. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up my needles and hooks again. There's something very soothing about making something with your hands, and being able to see the results and work-in-progress immediately.

So far, I've made an all-cotton dishtowel.

What I liked about this pattern was the little nubbins! :)

A closeup showing the texture of the dishcloth.


I've also made three other things, but they're for a gift so I can't show you until I've given them away.

I decided to be a little adventurous with my crocheting and knitting by mixing it with meeting up with strangers. I went on Meetup.com and found out that there's a knitting/crocheting meetup called "Fiber Therapy" about 4 miles from my house, at the Panera Bread! They meet every Saturday morning at 9:00am. So I joined the group and RSVP'ed. With slight trepidation, I went to meetup with the group yesterday. I wasn't too scared because Todd went with me to study the book he's reading for his next Toastmasters speech, and he brought his laptop for the free internet there.

I found the group right away. They were as welcoming as ever! It was really fun to knit/crochet with a group. I've done it once before, but this group was more fun and welcoming than that last group I went to meet. Plus that group met at a cafe really far from me.

I got in line to get a spinach and bacon souffle and a coffee. Then I sat down and started work on my secret gift project for later this month, while chatting with others. They thought I was a little quiet and told me so, ha ha. I told them I'm a lot less quiet after I've warmed up to new people. They chatted about an upcoming wedding, their kids, their projects, and all sorts of things. Turned out, yesterday was World Wide Knit In Public Day! So I was doubly glad I went and met up with the group!

Here are some of us, working on our projects.

L-R: Me, Lynn, Megan, Carole, and Carole's daughter.


That's Melinda.  (She took the previous photo.)

Carole's daughter took my camera and went around taking photos of people's projects.




After 2.5 hours, people started leaving, so I went to gather up Todd and found him like this:


It was quite a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. I'll be back again. Sometimes I'll still be running on Saturday mornings, but on the days I'm not, I'll definitely be back. Oh, and I'm proud of myself for going out and meeting some new crafty people. It's not easy for me to take that kind of initiative with strangers. :)

Oh, and I'm "supertwinkle" on Ravelry.com, if you're into knitting/crocheting and are there too!  I found the pattern for the dishcloth above on Ravelry.com.

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Dedicated, Inspiring, and Crazy

After reading race reports from my running friends, I thought I would share a few thoughts about running and runners in general, and also link to their inspiring stories.

In varying degrees, I think long-distance runners are crazy. Myself included. (Even though I fall short of the inspiring kind of dedication that other runners seem to have.) Who LIKES to push their bodies to unfathomable distances and try to get faster and faster PR's (personal records) with every race? Who gets up early at least once a week to run for hours at a time? Who comes back after injuries and rehab and train and do it again and again? Runners do.

Why do runners do this? I'm not the expert on this, since I'm not so dedicated myself. The closest I can explain to someone why I run is... it feels good afterwards, and sometimes during as well. It doesn't just feel good physically. It does wonders for the self-esteem to know that you can push your body to run very far. For me, I also stand in awe at God creating humans who have this kind of capacity in their bodies to run so far. Even though I don't have a perfect body, I'm in awe of how much my body can do and carry me in adversity. You can't really feel bad about your body and how it looks, when you've sweated buckets and you have salt encrusted on your face and neck, and you've run for 2.5 hours. Instead, you feel good and you feel proud of what your body can do. Not what it looks like.

In many ways, running also helps me face life's other adversities. When you know you can discipline yourself for the months of training, and you push through during the race to finish, you also have the knowledge that you can face other difficult things in life. It's a confidence-builder for sure.

When I run my long runs, it's also a time for self-reflection... running is mostly a solitary sport. You're alone with yourself out there, going for a couple of hours. What else can you do but think? It's like killing two birds with one stone, solving life's problems while getting really good exercise. I also pray during my long runs sometimes. Well, now we're tackling physical, mental, and spiritual things all at once! :)

Now I'm going to link you up to my friends' blogs with their race reports. After reading their stories, you'll see why I fall short of the kind of crazy dedication that they have!

My friend Monika (the one we go to The Rock Church with sometimes) ran the full marathon in 4:49. That is a pace that I can only dream off. Yet it is 54 minutes slower than her goal time of 3:55. She got a cramp in her stomach SIX miles into the marathon and struggled and cried and prayed through the rest 20 miles! I cannot even imagine that! Even more impressive is how she dealt with her adversity and disappointment. Her race report is here. Be prepared to shed a few tears.

My friend Anne, who has been running long-distances for over 30 years, did not run this race. Instead, she volunteered at the 25.4 mile aid station, the very LAST aid station for the full marathon. She saw everyone "at their worst". Yet the account is so well-written and touched me to tears. If I had run the full marathon and saw Anne at mile 25.4, I would have cried. Here is her account.

Last but not least, my friend Cindi. I met Cindi through Anne. Cindi ran the half marathon and finished with a PR. Her race report was very observant and her experience was very similar to mine. Basically, she could have written my race report, except that my finish time was a few minutes slower than her! We both had our worst miles at Mile 12. We both hated the 163. Her fun account is here.

I had said that I wasn't going to run another half marathon any time soon. Maybe never again. But when you cross that finish line and get your medal, you forget all that. I AM going to take it easier for a few months to rest up my tired and tight legs, but I'm still going to run. I just can't seem to tear myself away from long-distance running. Mainly because the people I know who run are so inspiring in so many ways. I want to be a part of that group.

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$1 Weds and New Layouts

It is amazing to think it is June 9th already. I'm really not sure where most of this year went! I have been very busy doing things I love, so I have no complaints. I've been reading, crocheting, running, resting, eating, hanging with friends, all the good stuffs of life. I've been really bad about taking photos of everything I'm doing though. :| I will try to be better and share more.

For today only, you can get my Corner Blocks template set for only $1 at Little Dreamer Designs!

So if you don't have it already, today is a good time to pick it up!

I also wanted to share a couple of recent layouts with you. I know, I've even been scrapping sometimes! :)

I did this layout for an upcoming issue of the LDD magazine Creative Voice. It is about how wonderful it is to make friends on the internet.

Credits: Simple Pleasures Mini Kit and Simple Pleasures Template Set by Christine Newman (me!) @ Little Dreamer Designs.

The Sweet Life

I created this layout using One Little Bird's (Peppermint) awesome new kit called Little Honeybee, and her new Tidbit Alpha. Just adore the colors and the honeybee theme in this one!  Oh and this was picked on the Gallery Standouts blog.   :)

This N That

A fun and whimsical layout I did with Designs by Lili's new BYOC things at The Lilypad: Papers and Borders, Today, and Everyday Alphas.

That's it for my latest layouts. My legs (mainly my thighs) are still recovering from the half marathon on Sunday. I was pretty stiff on Monday, but I took a walk with Todd after work yesterday and my legs feel pretty good today. I'm sure with some more rest and relaxation this week I'll be ready to run again this weekend! :)

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Rock N Roll San Diego Half Marathon

For five months leading up to the half marathon, and at 3:30am the day of the half marathon, I've wondered why I do this to myself.  Getting up early every Saturday morning to run a long run with my running club was hard.  It took a lot of self-discipline and commitment.  Getting up at 3:30am on the day of the half marathon was unfathomable.  I really, really, really wanted to close my eyes and just forget about it.  But I didn't.  I pulled myself up to sitting position, then finally got out of bed.  I pulled my running skirt and shirt on, the ones I'd laid out next to my bed the night before, with my racing bib already pinned onto my shirt.  I ate a banana.  I got my stuff together.  I got ready.

We drove down to Qualcomm Stadium and were surprised to encounter a backup at the freeway exit. Good thing we gave ourselves a little extra time. Based on the race emails and website, we were under the impression that we had to take the trolley to the race. But we found a huge gathering of shuttle buses, so we got on with no wait.

Oh yes, it was still quite dark!


Which way to the Rock N Roll Marathon?


The shuttle bus dropped us off at the start line. There were people running around, getting the lay of the land, as the morning light came up.


The port-o-potties were plenty, but the lines were also plenty long!


I had already gone in a port-o-pottie without any lines at Qualcomm Stadium, so I was glad that I didn't have to go. We dropped our gear bags off at the UPS trucks, then we headed to our respective corrals. Todd's predicted time was faster than mine, so he was in corral 10. I was in corral 31.


I was very far from the starting line!


The requisite shoe shot. I took one at the start of last year's Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon, so I thought I'd take another one this year.


I chatted with a couple of people near me. These guys were near me as well.


How fast can one run in underwear? I didn't stick around to find out.


After the race gun went off at 6:15am, we had to wait about a minute between the start of each corral. The crowd inched up slowly towards the starting line.


After about 40 minutes, I finally made it to the start line!


I was excited to finally get going. I just wanted to get it done. The first five miles felt easy and I was going at a good pace.

Some cheerleaders in drag in Hillcrest.


A guy who juggled and ran at the same time.


The first band on the course.


Running past cool architecture in Balboa Park.


The Prado in Balboa Park.


At some points on the course, the full marathon and half marathon routes split up. Here I got a view of the full marathoners on the 163.


Unfortunately, that was the last photo I took while on the course. It was a muggy morning, and fairly soon the sun came out. I was not happy while running on the 163. The route was far from scenic, I was hot, there was no breeze, and it was hilly. After mile 8, I was having a hard time keeping up my good pace. I drank water or Cytomax at almost every station, because it was hot and I was sweating so much. I ate my own vanilla GU at around 4.75 miles, then ate another GU at the 8.9 mile aid station.

I had the most difficult time between miles 10-12. I thought I was going to die and I cursed myself for signing up for this again and paying perfectly good money to torture myself. Running on Friars Road and Morena Blvd was super boring and probably the most UNscenic part of San Diego on the course.

Even though I thought I was dying, I saw the Mile 12 marker and started to pick up my pace. The course was flattening out and I could start to feel the breeze again. The end is in sight! I was almost done! I think this was where I figured out why I'd signed up to run another half marathon again. When I saw the finish line, there was unspeakable happiness and pride. There really is nothing like crossing the finish line after running a 13.1 mile race, and feeling proud of what you have accomplished and set out to do. The sacrifices over the last five months seemed almost worth the euphoria.

I forgot to stop my Garmin watch when I crossed the finish line. I didn't stop my watch until after I'd gotten my medal, so I wasn't quite sure what my finish time actually was. My Garmin said 2:33:48.


According to my Garmin, I ran 13.27 miles. But the course is certified, so I figured the satellites were a little bit off. But it's only like 1% off, not so bad! With the mile splits, you can see where I struggled the most. Basically the first 8 miles I was all good, and the last 5 kind of sucked. But I finished, AND I beat my last year's RnR Seattle Half time of 2:40 by 7 minutes! I was happy with my performance. In fact, I guess you could say this is my half marathon PR. :) My official race chip time was 2:33:06.



Some general thoughts about the race.
I thought the race was well organized. I did not enjoy the route at all. It did not showcase how scenic and wonderful San Diego really is. The route was boring and industrial. I wished the sun had not come out in the last hour of my running. I almost melted in the sun, humidity, and heat. Comparing last year's Seattle race and this race, I enjoyed the Seattle race much more. It was a lot more scenic, there seemed to be more bands, cheerleaders, and spectators along the way. Maybe the organizers will adjust the route for this race next year.

After the finish line, I ate a banana, grabbed some Cytomax and water, and went to pick up my gear bag at the UPS trucks. Then I headed to the letter "V" (for victory!) to find Todd. I saw him running at me, all excited to see me. His finish time was 1:53:49. He didn't know if he could be under 2 hours! I'm so proud of him for doing so well!

We walked over to the PF Chang area and got some chicken lettuce wraps, chocolate cake, and soft drinks. We got to eat there for free because of a bracelet that we picked up at the race expo on Friday. It was awesome! After our snack, we waited in line for the shuttle bus for about half an hour. The bus took us to the trolley station at Linda Vista. Then we took the trolley back to Qualcomm Stadium. I thought the return route was kind of cruel. We had to wait on our feet for a long time, plus walk a bunch. We were excited to finally get in our car and drive home!

After showering, we went to Red Robin, where I got a big cheeseburger and parmesan fries. Yum!


Todd with his meal.


I rested the rest of the day. I deserved it. :p

Oh, if you're interested in the race from Todd's faster point of view, you can read his blog post.

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