Alaska…first time!

Hello all…

As I promised, an update on my big trip out to Alaska for work. It was a fun trip to visit and work with the hospitals in Anchorage and the surrounding area. It was really fun landing in Anchorage with the mountains jumping out all over the place. It is true, it is absolutely stunning. After four long days, I had been to seven hospitals for Olympus and fit in a quick trip to Portage Glacier with our friend Chris Klein! All in all, for the first trip out….it was a good one. Next up…the smaller Alaska towns like Kodiak & Sitka. Check out the pictures and video below – would you believe it was 11:00 p.m. in Alaska when I took those pictures? Crazy!

Portage Glacier, Alaska

Portage Glacier, Alaska

I’m patiently awaiting the starting line for this weekends Rock and Roll half marathon here in Seattle. I’ve been training with my buddies at TNmultisport and am hoping for a new personal record this year. Let’s hope for no wind or rain, and some great bands to keep the feet rockin’ this Saturday!!!! Stay tuned for post-race pics and a recap of the race.

Night!

Lisa

Here and there…

Been a BUSY month here in Seattle. My new job with Olympus has me interfacing with so many wonderful people in hospitals and medical institutions all around the PNW. I will be traveling to Alaska for the first time at the beginning of June, then at some point heading out to the daunting, barren, state of Montana later this summer! Stay tuned for pictures and updates of my adventures and travels.

Looking forward to Memorial Day weekend spent with family, friends, and of course my main man, Joel. As I’m writing this on the plane ride back from my company headquarters in Center Valley, PA, I feel overwhelmed with information and training, but also excited that I get to work for a company that is so innovative in making a patient’s experience in GI or surgical, that much better, whatever the situation or procedure.

I’m still on track for the big Rock and Roll half marathon June 26th. It has been brutal to train, especially while out of my normal routine, which just means I need to get creative and a bit more determined. Even if my hotel was in the middle of nowhere next to a freeway. I’m hoping to hit the pool and bike extra hard over the next six weeks for my upcoming sprint triathlon as well. Being more of a runner, it’s has been hard to adjust to training for MULTIPLE events. Not really sure how people do this for a living!

I’ve also been reading all sorts of wonderful new foodie blogs in order to properly hydrate and fuel my body. Being gluten-free for the past five years has been a challenge, but for the most part, so much better for my overall health. Below, a few of my current favorite blogs that are chock full of great info and, most importantly, great recipes to keep you feeling healthy and strong! Soon, I’ll start posting some reviews of recipes I venture to make.

- The Spunky Cococut

- Eatliverun.com (an every day indulgence, it’s a great daily one!)

More to come, enjoy the long weekend. I hope you all are getting in some sort of R&R along with your awaited plans! West coast for life!

L to the K

Testing Our Green Thumb(s)

I call this one: "Parsley Over Water."

As long as I’ve known Lisa, food has always been an issue – not in a good or bad way, per se, but rather figuring out our various nuances (red meat v. chicken/fish, gluten-free v. wheat/flour, Lisa’s cooking v. my luxurious offerings night-in and night-out). Over time, we’ve adapted to each other’s likings, and we have prided ourselves on discovering new recipes and tricks to make our meals really make our taste buds come alive.

The herbs...up-close!

Part of those learnings have been utilizing herbs and fresh, organic produce to create our masterpieces. While mine typically involve a splash of Salt Lick BBQ sauce on just about anything, we have long-wanted to create our own “mini-garden” with fresh herbs – hey, we gotta start somewhere!

So, after Lisa headed off to Spokane for work Sunday for the early part of the week, I made my way to my favorite store – Home Depot. Confused over why I was looking for dirt and pots rather than power tools, I successfully managed to pay for food and clothing for the entire Home Depot staff on Aurora in Seattle for the year, and brought home enough to get our “starter” garden off the ground.

The herb garden and tomatoes (in the distance).

This evening, under the beautiful setting sun in Seattle, I potted and planted our initial organic offerings – Early Girl tomatoes, rosemary, basil, oregano, cilantro, and parsley. While it’s early yet, I’m optimistic to see our garden come to life in the coming weeks as the herbs overlook Lake Union from the perch on our rooftop deck. I expect we’ll begin to see some results anywhere between 30-50 days, depending on the herb or veggie.

Hopefully, the Seattle sun gods will generous to our growing garden in the coming weeks – until then, it will be a test to see if Lisa can keep the herbs alive long enough to justify for me that she’s capable of keeping up with a dog down the road.

The tomatoes...just getting going!

We’ll keep you posted on how the garden progresses – but, step one is out of the way – pots, plants, and dirt!

Cheers!
joel

Bloomies Unite!

Why hello….

So sorry you’ve been neglected for awhile. Joel & I have been busy with our new jobs, and enjoying learning about our ever-evolving roles.

Last weekend, we got to head to my hometown, Spokane, for the 34th annual 12K run, BLOOMSDAY. It was a sunny, clear day, perfect for running and with it, I completed my best personal record (PR) this year, completing the race in 52:59. My brother and sister-in-law also were able to make it and run the race.

We had a fun weekend in CDA, Idaho, on Saturday, hitting up my Dad’s hometown favorite, Hudsons Hamburgers for a “Huddie” burger (or two). It’s a fantastic burger joint that has been open since 1901. I remember when my grandpa would walk Ryan and I down to wait for one of the 18 bar stools to open up. I’m not much of a burger fan, especially being gluten free….but even a small taste is worth it. The owner and third generation cook was there on Saturday, we walked in to the usually packed place and bellyed up to the bar. We were not disappointed.

Speaking of my Dad, he has been getting around great since his surgery two weeks ago. My family and I can’t thank you enough for all the support, calls, e-mails, letters, and yummy food. He is looking forward to most importantly getting back on the golf greens…but alas, right now we are on him to rest, rest, rest! Stay tuned to hear more about how much stronger his heart and body will get in the coming months. Love ‘ya Dad!

I feel lucky to have such an amazing family. All-in-all, it was a non-stop Kristin weekend, full of lots of laughs and jabs…Joel did a good job keeping up.

Cheers to a new week! I’m jumping into my training, FINALLY for my triathlon this summer…so stay tuned for pics, it’s pretty much the only way to stay accountable for what I’m getting into. Switching gears to do some biking and swimming.

LK

New Jobs Abound!

Well, Lisa and I have both had our struggles the last couple of months on the employment front, as each of us looked to find new, exciting jobs. But, the month of March has been good to the both of us, as Lisa began her new role as an endoscopy support specialist (ESS) for Olympus last week, and I recently began my new role at the PR firm, Edelman.

Lisa’s new gig will support the Olympus medical sales team with the GI scopes. It’s likely that she’ll be traveling from time-to-time, as she will support hospitals and doctors across Washington, Alaska, and parts of Idaho. She’s spent the past week in Center Valley, PA, doing her training, and she’s got one more week to go! It sounds as though her role will be extremely technical, but she’s learning more and more each day and she’ll do great! Olympus is definitely on the forefront of medical imaging technology, so the company (and Lisa) have a bright future.

Ironically, my new role at Edelman brings me back to the company I started with after college in Dallas. As an Account Supervisor, I will support two Microsoft teams initially. For the first few weeks, I’ll support Microsoft’s MediaCenter/PlayReady team for an upcoming event, and around mid-April, I’ll move over to the Microsoft Advertising Business Group which works with other Microsoft consumer groups (like Zune, Xbox Live, and Windows Mobile) to drive advertisers to use those Microsoft platforms. For me, it’s been jumping in feet first, and I could be jaunting to Las Vegas in a few weeks. Luckily, my previous Microsoft experience at Waggener Edstrom will be extremely helpful in navigating the Microsoft corporate culture and bringing ongoing success to the team.

All in all, we’re both extremely excited for our new opportunities and look forward to many great experiences in the months and weeks ahead! While we both kick off our new adventures, we definitely miss one another – but, frequent text messages and phone calls from coast-to-coast have helped us keep apprised of our new jobs.

We’ll keep everyone posted on our new gigs, and until then, we’ll be working hard!

My man Rush B-day, let’s break out the games!

Friends & family,

So in honor of Joel’s 31st birthday, we decided we were WAY overdue in the “game night” department. What better way to celebrate than with friends and a rowdy game of Celebrity and Catch Phrase? We had about 20 people over, and let’s just say, people brought their “A” game and competitive juices!

Yeah buddy...Counter burger, pre-consumption...

Below, pics of the game night with friends as well as our lunch on Tuesday at the famous “Counter” in Ballard. I think Joel was full after only inhaling a 1/4 of this burger….the sweet potatoe fries were to die for. Highly recommend hitting this joint up when in Seattle and hankering for a “build your own burger.”

Cheers to my man Rush, pretty sure things only get better with age…ahhh…..! May this year bring even more memories & fun:)

xoxo

Lisa

The boys!

Jess, Megs, & Makayla

Delicious Trophy cupcakes for the b-day boy!

The games got a little heated….so sitting was optional. Boys vs girls!

Deep in concentration here...

Brizzle-for-Shizzle came to the party ready for some action. Bri is very competitive when it comes to games, and I was more than happy to have her on my team! Love ‘ya, Bri!

Lisa & Bri

Coop was pretty quick on his feet with those celebrity names...

The JoelLisa team

Cheers to our Anniversary!

Joel & I @ The Capital Grille for our anniversary.

It seems time really does go faster the longer you are in a relationship. I’m not complaining, the 2+ years I’ve been able to share with Joel has been full of laughter, fun, and most of all unconditional love. I am a lucky girl, and if I do say so myself, Joel is a pretty lucky guy too! Ironically, our “anniversary” date started on a leap year, Feb. 29th….so this year, we had no choice but to bump it back a day to the 28th. Ladies, as a lesson, make sure you pick a date that isn’t on a leap year & easy for your man to memorize…ha ha.

Joel surprised me yesterday, telling me to “dress up” for the occasion. Every girl gets a twinge of excitement and joy out of surprises like these….at least I hope so! All day I was wondering what he had up his little, or rather LONG, sleeve…

The Capital Grille's signature, the Stoli Doli.

We ended up enjoying the BEST meal ever at The Capital Grille in downtown Seattle. If anyone has ever been there, the food and atmosphere is great. The signature drink – a Stoli Doli – is pineapple-infused vodka. Delish!

It was a romantic, fun evening spent with my best friend. Cheers to the JoelLisa team and here’s to many more memories & years to come!

Lisa

The bar @ The Capital Grille in Seattle, with the making of some future Stoli Doli's.