Faces

I can't believe how fast Luke's first birthday is approaching! We still have another month until my baby is a year, so I'm trying not to rush it, which is hard to do when you have to plan ahead for a party. Sigh.

Last weekend, I took some photos for the invitations. I had a concept in my head and I was able to pretty much achieve what I was going for. I always forget that the baby is the variable in these situations. Justin and I had to tag team it, but in the end he gave us some usable material.  (Sadly, some of the best stuff was marred by our inability to focus the camera correctly.) Blogger has been giving me a headache for a week trying to post these pics, but I finally think I outsmarted it!

 

The finished product

Pumpkins

I was waiting on this post until after what was supposed to be our second trip to a pumpkin patch this fall. The weather put a damper on this past weekend's plans, so we've only had one pumpkin-y trip so far.

Two weeks ago we took Luke to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. I've been going there since I was itty bitty, so it was only fitting that we take Luke there during his first fall season. It was a very warm day, which didn't really lend itself well to fallish activities like hay riding and pumpkin picking. We met my dear friend Stacy and her family there and had a great time in spite of the heat.

We took the hayride out to the fields where Justin found the perfect Luke-sized pumpkin

Playing in the dirt and loving every minute

He was such a drool monster that I had to cover his cute Linus shirt with a bib most of the day.

Bib-less photo op

Bibbed - covering up the puddle on his shirt

"Every year the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch he thinks is the most sincere."

 Yup, sincerity as far as the eye can see Linus!

On a train ride around the farm

Bishop's has expanded a ton in the last 25 years, but this metal pumpkin has outlasted all the changes.

It was a lot easier to crawl into when I was four.

This past weekend we were supposed to go to Dell'Osso Farms in Lathrop with our friends Ryan and Freida. They drove all the way over from Vacaville only to have our plans thwarted by rain. We opted for a fun day indoors and some frozen yogurt instead.

Bella and Luke take advantage of the "indoor ball pit." Just like Chuck E. Cheese, but without the germs. :)

Hair Update

After the post about my hair issues a few weeks ago, I did what any modern girl would do and asked for help on facebook. The best, most viable option came via email from a fellow Pacific alumna. She seemed to understand my plight perfectly and gave a glowing recommendation for her stylist, Ashlee. (Side note:  Hair stylists at fancy salons make me nervous. They intimidate me with their trendy outfits, their cute hair, and their youthfulness.) Ashlee, though young and probably way cooler than me, was actually very down to earth and made me feel quite at ease. She did keep repeating, "yeah, I can see it's been a long time..." as she surveyed my lifeless locks, but she did it in a fairly good-natured way. Leading up the appointment, I'd had an internal struggle for several days over what kind of style I wanted; and as I sat in the chair I had to confess that I hadn't been able to decide if I wanted a bob with no bangs, a bob with side bangs, long layered look no bangs, short layered look with side bangs...fortunately Ashlee was quite willing to give me her professional opinion. (Another side note:  I just realized why I agonize over haircuts so much. I guess I feel that if I am going to spend $45 or more on a haircut, it better be something drastic/noticeable/worth it, i.e. not a trim.)

*

With Ashlee's expertise, we went with a layered look...no bangs and some subtle natural-looking highlights (Read:  I'm still a brunette). Nothing too drastic, but enough to give my look a bit more life. This was my first experience at an Aveda salon (a term that meant absolutely nothing to me until last Wednesday), and I kind of dig that all of their products are made with natural ingredients and that they help support indigenous peoples. I'm strongly considering springing for some of their shampoo. It makes you smell like you washed your hair in nature..what could be better? Wait, I know! Calling Ashlee tomorrow to schedule my next appointment, so the cycle of scruffyness doesn't begin again!

*Justin doesn't take me seriously when I ask him to do stuff like this, so I had to take the pic myself in the mirror like myspace circa 2006.

10/10/10 - A Walk with Daddy

10/10/10 was a banner day for the Perry's.

With his new shoes on, Luke decided he was ready to make some "strides" in the walking department by  pushing his shopping cart all by himself. Justin took these videos with his phone. They make me laugh for three reasons:

1) Justin is a total sports dad saying, "Get up Luke. Get up." A future filled with sporting events and a husband yelling from the sidelines just flashed before my eyes.
2) The random assortment of junk in the shopping cart. Fun fish book, monkey book, laughing hippo stuffed animal, a camel-colored sling back. This thing has kind of been a catchall in Luke's room for awhile.
3) The excitement on Luke's face because he knows he is doing something that is making his daddy excited.



In case you were concerned and think we're abusive parents...here's the follow up entitled "Survived."

Fun with Balloons

Amazing how much fun a balloon can be.

San Diego Weekend

I'm about a week behind in activities, so bear with me.

Last weekend we took a whirlwind trip to San Diego for the wedding of our friends Matt and Lisa. (Matt was Justin's roommate in college.) It was a beautiful wedding next to the marina in SD. While there we got to see some of our favorite friends, Todd & Shawna and their kids.

Shawna and I try to pose with our wee ones

Luke and his daddy at the wedding

This trip marked Luke's first plane ride, which was fun. He already appears to like adventure, although sometimes his whole body shakes when he gets nervous or excited. I don't know if that's a normal baby thing or if he's just weirdly excitable. I'll have to google it and find out.

Waiting for our turn to board

Luke didn't understand that the tray table needs to be an upright position during take off.

Since we were already in San Diego, we decided to go all out and take a trip to the zoo. We met up with our friends Amanda and Karl and their adorable little girl Harper.

Watching the weird bird that wandered into our group

The most random thing about the trip was our decision to take only public transportation. I suggested this for two reasons:  1) I wanted to save money and 2) Basically I didn't want to lug the carseat for a one-day trip that involved only carry-on items.

By not having a car we:

• Walked nearly 5 miles round trip to find a place for lunch before the wedding thanks to Justin's "smart phone." Bonus:  We got to enjoy quality time together and had plenty of time to look at the boats in the San Diego harbor. I also got some much-needed exercise.

• Experienced the "real" San Diego as we bus hopped from the airport to the zoo. The worst part of this experience was a toss-up between lugging our duffle bags, baby, and fold up stroller on and off buses and the weird homeless/psychologically damaged individuals you meet on public transportation. We did, however, meet a very nice couple visiting from Colorado and randomly ended up on the bus with them again as they traveled from their hotel to the airport.

the mooning gorilla

In non-bus-related news, Luke loved the zoo and we got pretty up close and personal with several animals. Including the orangatan Luke "high-fived" through the window (would have gotten an action shot if a rotten little kid hadn't stepped in front of me), the polar bear who wanted to make friends, and the mooning gorilla. (I also saw a baby gorilla nursing on his mama, which was way cooler than I would have thought a year ago.)

(See see Luke's hand next to the orangatan's hand. Grrrr little kid in the green shirt.)

Our flight home was uneventful, but we were all exhausted. Luke fell asleep before we even boarded the plane and didn't stir until we loaded him into the car in Sacramento. All that walking, bus hopping, and animal watching will do that to you I guess.

We really enjoyed our fabulous 36 hour getaway. Hopefully we can do it again soon!

Where's Luke?

I feel like Luke has been neglected on my blog lately. This was partly intentional...to prove to myself that it was possible for me to post about things other than my child. Success! To make up for the lack of Luke-ness, here a bunch of new photos for your viewing pleasure. (We recently graduated into a new set of clothes, so the photographic documenting of outfits begins all over again!)

 His pajamas say "Captain Awesome" and they have a cape on the back. Love.

The weather topped 100 degrees, so we decided to go for the "beachy" look  

Sporting the new "big boy" Vans from Grandma Lynn 

The sweet tiger cub hat made especially for Luke by Justin's co-worker Carla 

I couldn't resist the pumpkin headband in the dollar section of Target. He wore it all the way through the store. Grandma Lynn thinks it makes him look like a pretty little girl, but I think it's way rad.

I know you've all seen this before, but I have it as my screensaver and work and it very nearly causes me to die of cuteness everytime I look at it. I'm probably biased though.

Bag of Happiness

I took some flowers to work the other day. I only need one for a little bud vase on my desk, but the rest of the bunch looked so festive in my fun polka-dot lunch sack that I decided to keep them in there. I feel a little dorky carrying fake flowers to work everyday, but every time I look down at this fun combination of polka dots and daisies it makes me really happy, so I figure it's worth it. :)

See Jane (and Becky) Tri

With my co-worker Corrie who came in 16th in her age group! Amazing!

This is probably more information than any of you care to know, but I always enjoy reading the "race reports" of other triathletes, so I did one myself. If you have no idea about how a triathlon works, it may paint a clearer picture.


Race Description: See Jane Run Triathlon in Pleasanton, CA
400 yard swim (1/4 mile), 11 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

Overall Rank: 508 out of 777 (I had to calculate this myself, so it may be a bit off)
Division Rank: 101 out of 135
Overall Time: 1:41:59
Pre-Race Routine: Ate a bowl of oatmeal before leaving the house, drove to Pleasanton with Nancy, set up transition area, checked in and got our ankle timing chips, got body marking (race number written on thigh and shoulder with marker), examed the swim course, met up with co-worker Corrie and her wife Marisela for photo ops. Sooo glad we did this before because I look extremely haggard after any display of athleticism.

Swim: 400 yards
Time: 10:31
Overall Rank: ???
Division Rank: ???
Pace: 9ish minutes (total time included run to transition)
Water Temp: low 70's I think
Water Condition: Lake water, very still
Wetsuit: Didn't use
Course: 400 yard horseshoe shape
Start: Ran into water from a beach start
Drafting: Too scared to draft - don't want to get a foot to the face
Navigation: Easy sighting of the buoys. Stayed perfectly on course
Comments: Felt really good in this event. Kept my head down in the water as much as possible. Only looked up to sight and make sure no one was going to kick me in the head.
What would I do differently next time:  Nothing

T1: It was a looooong path from the water to the transition area (where the bikes are). Had to run up the sand, down a concrete path (barefoot - ouch!), into the muddy grass, before stepping onto the timing pad and into the bike area. Finding the bike was easy because of my bright pink beach towel and the thoughtful girl who had a Disney princess balloon on our rack.
Remove Goggles/Cap: Did this while running
Helmet On/Suit Off @ same Time: Didn't wear a wetsuit and really wouldn't be coordinated enough to do this even if I had. I dried off a tiny bit, threw on my t-shirt and running shorts (NOT hardcore enough to run in my tri-swim suit. No one wants to see these white pasty white thighs), wiped off dirty/wet feet and got socks and running shoes on. Helmet on, drink of water, bike off the rack. Ready to go.
Run w/ Bike: Yup, out of the transition area
Jump on Bike: More of a cautious climb onto the bike.
Getting up to speed: Hard to get speed out of the parking lot. Someone had reset my gears to lowest setting because of the steep hill getting out of the parking. That's real sweet, but I would have prefered to do it myself.
Comments: The whole transition was pretty fast, but I did feel that I lost some momentum getting changed.
What would I do differently next time: Get longer shorts for my swim suit so I feel more comfortable continuing the race without running shorts. Also, have my laces halfway tied and ready to go.

Bike: 11 miles
Time: 47:39
Overall Rank: ???
Division Rank: ???
Pace: 4:30/mile
Wind: A tad windy in certain directions, but overall it felt pretty good
Course: The course was all over the place. A group of us got stopped at one intersection so CHP could let cars through. (This has never happened to me before, and according to race reviews it hasn't happened to most people. That's the point of having CHP there closing the roads - to redirect traffic so you don't have to stop in the middle of the race.) I lot a TON of momentum at this point even though I was only stopped for a couple of minutes. The course was not marked well and there were a couple of sharp turns that were really dangerous. Another where we ended up riding straight into other cyclists. Not a good course design.
Gear Changes: I am not a cyclist, so knowing which gear to be in is tough. I found a pretty good one though and mostly stayed in the 2nd.
Eating/Drinking: Tried to grab my water bottle at one point, got the bottle, but couldn't get the cap off while I was moving, so I gave up and put it back.
Comments: I need to train more on the bike. This is by far my weakest event, because I rarely ride. I used a great bike that belongs to my aunt. It's a hybrid that has fairly skinny tires and felt pretty good (much better than using my mountain bike - that would have been a disaster!) Thankfully there weren't a ton of hills; my legs couldn't have taken it. I wimped out on the one big hill and just walked my bike. Hey! Other people were doing it.
What would I do differently next time: Practice more. Make sure I can shift into 3rd. Use a different water bottle that doesn't have to be opened one-handed at 15 mph.

T2: downshifted the last 1/4 mile so my cadence would be shorter and my legs would be more ready for the run.
Riding w/ feet on top of shoes: Don't use clip in pedals
Jumping off bike: Awkward as my legs weren't ready for it.
Racking bike: Our rack had fallen down during the ride, so I had to through my bike on top of Nancy's.
Running shoes off/ helmet off: Threw my helmet off and onto the pile of stuff
Comments:  I'll admit, I was bummed that Nancy wasn't still in the transition area. I was hoping I wasn't that far behind her, but she smoked me on the bike (as I knew she would), so mentally I was in a bit of a bad place. I grabbed a small handful of sport beans (eloctrolyte replacement) and a couple swigs of water and ran out of transition.
What would you do differently: Nothing.

Run: 3.1 miles
Time: 39:16
Overall Rank: ???
Division Rank: ???
Pace: 12.6 min/mile
Course: negatives: dusty, uneven, hilly, lots of holes (from snakes???), and rocks. positives:  shady, 2 water stops
Keeping cool:  It was getting a bit hot, but with the shade on the course it wasn't too bad.
Drink/Eat: Grabbed water at both stops
Comments: My legs were spent by the time I hit the run. At first I was hoping to catch Nancy so we could finish together, but that didn't happen. She's fast! Mentally I felt good and ready to run, but my legs were in control and they said otherwise. There were a few big hills and I considered running up them, but figured at my slow pace any uphill run would match the speed of an uphill walk, so I decided not to waste the energy and just walked them. Walked through the water stops. Tried to run (slow jog) most of the course though. Ran the last 1/2 mile and felt good running through the finish.
What would you do differently:  I should probably train more. Story of my life. :)


Warm-Down:  Walked around and gathered freebies from the booths
Limiters: Not sure what this means...
Mental Effort: Felt good mentally. Irrational competiveness toward my friend who is much more athletic than I am (even though she doesn't believe it) probably helped me go a bit faster, but also frustrated me. I like to compete against myself and no one else (maybe because I am a sore loser?) :)
Physical Effort:  I felt like I left everything on the course, which was my goal. Could I have gone faster with more training? Definitely. Did I feel like I did the very best I could given my abilities? Yes.
OVERALL:  Good race. Made my goal time. Hooray! Wish I didn't have this darned competitive drive though. It really makes me feel like an ugly person. Note to self:  Do not invite friends to race again, unless we are in different heats (or they are in worse shape than me.) :)

Hair

Dear Sad Haired, Semi-Brunette Becky,

It's time to spice things up. For too long now you've been content to exist with your frumpy, no volume, thinning, ever lengthening hairstyle. While you are a new mom and it's to be expected, you are also a marketing professional that should really know better. Why not make a bit more of an effort and surprise people with some fresh color and a more polished look? Stop being such a cheapskate and get your booty to the salon! Yes, I realize that your hairdresser is having a baby and going out on maternity leave; not that you ever planned far enough ahead to get an appointment when you really needed one anyway. Time to solicit some help and find someone in town who can help you achieve a style that will be simple and yet still help you look like something other than a two-toned ragamuffin who doesn't care about herself. And let's face it, I know you don't want a "mom-bob," but really, you've sported a "mom-bob" in some fashion or another since 1997. Maybe that's just who you are.  Quit trying to "go back to your roots" the natural way and pony up the cash for the color. As much as you've tried to deny it, you really do love being blond(er).

So, buck up walking hair-tastrophe, there is hope. You just have to take the time and the initiative to find it. In the meantime, try drying your hair before work and attempting the curling iron with a little more frequency. You, your job, and your future will thank you.

Sincerely,
The Better, Cuter Becky We All Know You Can Be

8 Years

Well, we made it past the 7-year itch! On Tuesday Justin and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary. This is one of my favorite photos from our wedding. It is actually on my mantle so I can enjoy seeing some of our favorite friends all the time! Hard to believe we were the first to get married in this group, which now boasts 10 children! Little Travis is about to get his driver's license and our flower girl Natalie is almost a teenager. Little brother Jeff just moved away from home for the first time to his own apartment in Hollywood. Time flies, but somehow I don't feel all that different.

As far as I know, we were one of the first couples to get married in the Rose Garden at UOP and also one of the last. I think another couple did it after us and they ruined it for everyone else. We planned the wedding on a shoestring in about 4 months and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Our reception locale, a redwood deck off the old student union, was just demolished as they renovate the space for offices. Kind of sad, but we're lucky to be close enough to revisit our wedding site as often as we like!

To celebrate, Justin and I took the day off and went on a spontaneous trip to our favorite destination - Monterey. It gave Luke one last opportunity to play in eat sand on the beach outside of our hotel and go to the aquarium for the first time.

 People told me how amazing it would be to see things through the eyes of my child and they were right!

Working the Plan

Things I need to start doing:

1. Training for my triathlon that's in 3 weeks. Eeek! I haven't been out for a run in weeks and I've only gone on one 7 mile bike ride.  I don't want to think about it.

2. Eating healthier. I have set a record these last few weeks for trips to Starbucks. That wouldn't be so bad, except that my chai latte MUST be accompanied by a pastry of some sort. Trouble.

3. Gymming it. If I curtail even one trip to Starbucks a week I can afford to rejoin the gym and go on my lunch hour. This must happen.

4. Sewing. I have a couple of easy projects that need to get done and a sewing machine I got for Christmas 2008 still sitting in the box. Need to get some training time in with mom - hopefully this weekend.

5. Baby proofing. Nope, still haven't started this process and I hear it takes awhile. Now that Luke uses drawers and cupboards to pull himself up, it has become a necessity.

Fingers crossed that #'s 1, 4, & 5 can happen to some degree this weekend. I would say #2, but that may be too much to ask. :)