Taking The Long Way Home

I've decided to move the "Kim & Lauren" posts, about our upcoming half marathon adventure at Disneyland, over to my other blog, PositivelyVegan . I think it's a better fit, and I hope you'll head over there right this minute and sign up to Follow By Email, "Like" me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or "Join This Site." PV is growing and taking on a life of its own, and I'd love a nice big audience to go along with it. You don't have to be vegan to enjoy a good meal, or to learn something new. Come on over and see what's cooking. We're having fun!

Kim: We have no Lauren again this week. She's having too much fun, and I'm not going to be the one to pin her down to homework when there are so many other things she can be doing. She's still in the race, and she's still training. My girl is doing great, so you're stuck with me for now... There's no such thing as time. I know this. That doesn't stop me from sort of obsessively timing my morning runs. In my own defense, I want to know how I'm doing, so I'm at least pretty sure I can finish the race in the alloted time frame. I want to finish that race. So I think it's a good idea to keep track of my progress, so I can push harder gradually, as I go, rather than freaking out in the last three weeks because I'm too slow to finish. It make sense to me, but maybe I'm wrong... It seems every time I go out to set a personal best, I'm delayed by everything from malfunctioning gadgets, to road work, to cute little puppies that just make m...

Kim: It took me a week to catch my breath after the big Seattle trip. This week I came up with a new, more serious, training schedule, and then just to make sure I stay motivated, I signed up for a 5K next month. What? Well, sure, why not? I mean it sounds like a big deal, bit it's just a smidge over 3 miles - 3.1 to be exact - and I do that twice a week already, with a longer run on Fridays. I think it will be good to do a "real" race before the half marathon, and besides, it's for a good cause. It's being put on by the local hospital, which I avoid like... well, like a hospital. But in this case, all the money raised goes to people in the community who are dealing with cancer, not just for medical stuff, but for things like groceries, bills, daycare, and other everyday things. While I refuse to "run for cancer" (what we fight, we feed, and what we focus our attention on gets stronger), I'm more than happy to run for people! That's where my a...

In preparation for the half-marathon I'm doing in September, I've just signed up for a 5K here in Taos. I think it will be fun to see what a real race is like, it's getting me to focus on the training a bit more, and besides, it's for a good cause. All the money raised is going to actual humans who are dealing with cancer, to help them with everyday needs and expenses. I can get behind that! The For The Health Of It 5K is on June 16, and I'm on my friend, Sue Williford's team, the Prima Divas . We can use more team members! The entry fee is only $35, and you can sign up here . We'd love to have you! And if you can't run/walk with us, but would like to support us in making a positive difference in real people's lives, donations can be made either on Sue's page , or on mine . Thanks so much! Here's to your good health!

I've been home for a week. The laundry is done. Several meals have been cooked. Friends have been seen. Herbs have been planted. It's time to get back to business, but maybe not quite as usual. My preference would be to spend my days in the kitchen, inventing, perfecting, photographing, learning, sharing. My reality hasn't quite caught up to that yet though, so today I plan to sit myself down at the torch and see what comes of it. I took an unpaid month off of work, and I need to replenish the bank account. I'll keep the love in the beads, of course, but the bigger part of my heart is now in the kitchen. I used to want to decorate everyone I met. Now I want to feed them. It's kind of like decorating from the inside out. I think I'll be putting less time into this blog, and more into PositivelyVegan . We have to do what makes our hearts sing as much as possible. That's how the truly Good Work gets done, because it's inspired by something greater than ...

This is the last post from our trip - and what a trip it's been. I was just too busy to get to it the last few days, so here's the final batch of pictures. Enjoy! The second day in San Jose, where I grew up, was spent in Santa Cruz, where I spent a lot of time in my high school years, when I should have been in class... I always love a day at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Lunch with Dad and my sisters, Linda and Jill.  Walking and talking on the beach. We like each other. It's nice. And then there are the birds... I did a little cooking that night, and taught Linda how to make spring rolls and nori rolls. We had fun! Read more about our cooking adventure on PositivelyVegan . After a too short visit with my family, Rick and I headed for Las Vegas, where we met up with an old high school friend, Paul Graham. Paul writes the terrific blog, Eating Vegan In Vegas , so he was the perfect person to tell us all the best places to eat. We started ...