The Rolling Stones "Moonlight Mile" (1971)

It's a Moonlight Mile kind of moment. Melancholy is present and there is disconnection with a place that I need to be at down the road.



On the flip side, I haven't logged into this blog in years and what brought me back was an email from AdSense that I had some money needing to be deposited. Who knew? I guess there was enough traffic over the past few years to warrant a 26 dollar pay out. I'll take it. If I had something of more importance to share, I'd post more......

Desert Shadows Styled

Desert Shadows Styled by allison-wear featuring t-shirts

T shirt
etsy.com

Home decor
1stdibs.com

Minnetonka Kids Double Fringe Side Zip Bootie (Infant/Toddler)
zappos.com

Boy and Girl Baby Leggings Organic Cotton Knit Tribal Mudcloth Black...
etsy.com

We're Open for Business!

Come check out The Tiny Coyote on Etsy for some sweet vintage kids wear. We've got sizes galore from baby to 6x. New items will be added weekly. More info on the shop to come soon!

Station Atocha

I was in Madrid in 2006. Or was it 2007? Either way it was an amazing trip that I found myself reminiscing about this morning. Fueled by my desire to see Guernica, I booked a ticket and made the trip solo, staying for about 5 days. While Picasso was my initial draw, Bosch's 'Garden of Earthly Delights' was the gem of the trip. Chuck Close was the surprise of the trip as there was a retrospective at the Renia Sofia. The dream of the trip? Station Atocha. The interior gardens coupled with beautiful lighting had me visit the station even when taking a train wasn't on the itinerary.

Huntington Gardens....Free Day!

On Thursday, I took advantage of the Free Day at the Huntington Library and Gardens.  In order to get tickets, you book online via the Huntington Website the month before you plan to visit. Typically, tickets are 20 dollars so it is a great opportunity. My friend Nick joined Daisy and I for the outing. The gardens were intense. My favorite however was the library and art collection. Not that I didn't love the gardens, but as an Arboretum member, the art collection was something totally different from my usual park/garden visits. 

One of many busts

Daisy. Totally unimpressed.

Gorgeous Stained Glass. My favorite Piece.

Inside the Conservatory.

Inside the Gallery.

Nick in the Chinese Tea Room

Giant Agave/Aloe?

Running Update

Since I last posted, things have improved. Slightly. I am pleased to say I accomplished a 4 miler yesterday with the Pasadena Pacers. We did a run 5 minutes/walk one minute approach to our workout and considering it was my longest run in 11 months (and damn near 85 degrees and sunny), I was happy for the minute break.

I have been running regularly at the Los Angeles Arboretum after getting a membership. It is pretty great actually. 75 bucks gets you a family membership. With a membership, in addition to park access, you get to come during members only hours starting at 7:30 AM in the summer and 8:00AM the rest of the year. There are few folks in the park in those early hours so it is quite the wonderland to explore. The peacocks are all out in abundance during that time too. When I am not running the park, I bring Daisy in the stroller.

And I can't believe I just typed membership 3 times in 3 sentences right in a row. Sheesh.

Back to running. Next week begins the official training program/schedule for the LA Marathon. We will do a 4 miler....sans the walk/run combo. I am looking forward to this..........

Returning to Running: Post Labor and Deivery

Wow. It has never been such a challenge to consecutively run 2 miles. However, I have to look at it like this: Rewind to October of 2012. Hand myself a 19 lb pack of meat. Throw in some hills. Weaken my muscles and make my legs a bit wobbly. Then run. I doubt I'd be able to run the 10 or so miles I was doing.......

Beautiful 2.26 mile run this morning at the LA Arboretum 

But really.....it is a whole new game running post delivery. A whole new body. Since delivery (6/23), I dropped 22 pounds but I have 19 still to go in order to get to pre-pregnancy weight. That 19 lbs is pretty significant when it comes to running. It is that much harder to get up hills, up steps, up curbs and frankly, to just keep going. My ankles and legs aren't as strong but that is to be expected after a 9 month hiatus.

At my 6 week postpartum checkup I got the go-ahead to get back into marathon training. Well, get back isn't really the right term here....lets shift that to "start-from-square-one-on-marathon-training".  While I have a couple of halfs under my belt (and tons of 10 and 5ks), a marathon is one that I have yet to do. LA 2013 was supposed to be my first but a quarter into the training season I found out I was expecting and due to health reasons and general common sense, I nixed any ideas of running pregnant. I know some women are able to sustain running, but it wasn't for me. Lord knows, I trip enough sans belly. I didn't want anything bad to happen...

So I have started to run. It has been so exciting to get back into it. Also very humbling in managing new limitations to a body that was capable of much more not even a year back. Well....capable of things related to running....having a baby was kind of the ultimate in seeing what amazing things we ladies are capable of! ;)

2 and 3 mile runs are where I'm at now after a couple weeks in. My goal is to be up to 4 miles by September 14 so that I can join the Pasadena Pacers for the start of the LA Marathon 2014 training season. I'll be jotting progress down here for me and anyone else interested in running post baby.