I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by dear Katie out in Salt Lake City (a possible location for our back-to-the-States retirement), and I must admit, it's the first time I've been tagged. This is a cute, fun way to learn more about people, so I'm answering the call, tagging others, and also using this post to shamelessly plug my new blog. But you're going to have to read through the "ME" game before you learn about my newest internet ramblings.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Oh my, the "dark time." I had just finished my first year of college at UNCG where I was studying Psychology and English, but mostly that year revolved around a completely unhealthy and dysfunctional situation with my Cross Country and Track teams. No need to go into specifics. It was bad enough the first time around!

2. What are 5 non-work things on my to-do list today?
Email my bank info to Tie-Care so I can get my health insurance reimbursement.
Order some new trail runners
Get a shopping list together for our July visitors: Jess and John E. Johnson
Squish Bali--and do a family squeeze with Tim too.
Figure out what time the open mic fundraiser begins tonight at Cafe Libre.

3. What snacks do you enjoy?
I'm having a hard time remembering what I used to snack on regularly in the States. Here's what I snack on currently:
Pan de yucca (bread made from yucca flour and bit of cheese)
Dark, jungle chocolate
Bananas
Tim's fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies (he is the master)
Chiefles (plantain chips)
Can coffee be considered a snack?

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Tim and I were just talking about Bali would do if she were a millionaire, and there were some pretty cool things she'd do, so first, I would make Bali a millionaire.
Invest/save lots
Lavishly retire our parents
Give much to friends and charities I appreciate
Send Tim to get his PhD in whatever educational field he chooses--or all, if he so chose
Buy my brother a house and set up a trust fund for the college education of his future children, of which I'm sure there will be several.
Travel the world!
But I would still want to do this international teaching thing for awhile. This job rocks and would so even more if we didn't have to worry about money and how much we're making.

5. Where have you lived?
Boone, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Boulder, Colorado
Quito, Ecuador

6. What jobs have you had?
Ski Instructor at French Swiss
Logistics at NC Outward Bound
Coffee/Counter Manager at Spruce Confections
Executive Assistant/News Editor at the AAC
Education Coordinator at LNT
Full-time Graduate Student and Substitute Teacher
Teacher--Psychology and Theory Of Knowledge in Ecuador

Well, that was fun. I tag: Amanda, Karen, and Jessica to help her get started on her new foray into the blog world (Jess, it's okay to post twice in one week--or one day, for that matter).

Speaking of the new foray (shameless plug! shameless plug!), Jess is going to be an author on my new blog, which Tim will have to add to our friends' list here. Beyond doing a race here and there, keeping up the mileage in the summer and hibernating in the winter, I have not run regularly or with a major goal in mind since college. But next summer I turn 30, and I wanted a major running goal. I've always said I never wanted to do a marathon because of various injuries and what-not. Now I want to try. But not only do I want to try a marathon, I want to try an ultra marathon next July. I guess I just want to know if I can do it. I love trail-running and think it's something I could do all day long. The problem is that I don't really have regular running partners here, so it can be hard to motivate when it's such a solitary pursuit. I created the blog so I could make what I'm doing public, to hold myself accountable for a training schedule, and also to try to entice others to join me--if not in my distance, then at least in some goal of their own so that we could support each other via the web. It is my greatest wish to grow it, so that many women are posting, commenting, getting the advice they seek, and feeling good about supporting friends in reaching their goals.

So consider this your official invitation. If this sounds like something you want to join me in, if you have some running goal that you're struggling to meet or if you want to start on one and think the help of other chicks in the same boat would be a benefit, please drop me a line. You can comment here or there. We'd love to have you. In fact, we need you. I have room for 95 more authors. http://www.friendsrunningforum.blogspot.com/.