Ecuador and Galapagos

WOW! So, it's been a very long time since I've

blogged. I've been so busy with work and traveling that I've let this aspect of my life slack a little bit. Anyway, here are some pics of my recent trip to South America.

This is a crater lake in the highlands near Otavalo, Ecuador. 5 million years ago this volcano exploded and the result is this lake. We hiked around this lake for about 4 hours.

To the left is a native Ecuadorian who is preparing Guinea Pigs for dinner.

To the right is the only snow capped mountain on the equator. The snow on top feeds into the Amazon. This part of our trip we stayed at natural hot springs...amazing.

The sea lions were abundant! They were adorable. I wanted to pet their whiskers and kiss them up. I actually got to touch one while snorkeling.

Okay, so this is a little difficult to see, but on the right are three penguins, on the left are blue footed boobies and you can also see some Sally Lightfooted Crabs.

Here are some Marine Iguana's. There were hundreds of them simply sunning themselves on the lava rock.

This is a Land Iguana. Beautiful!

And my favorite picture...a giant tortoise with passion fruit all over his face.

Andi's Birthday Party

Okay...so one of the coolest things about Seattle is that there are tons of dog parks. This city caters to the dog population (which by the way, there are more dogs in Seattle than children). Anyway, Andi (one of Maddie's new brothers and companion) had a birthday party. He turned 6 years old. Heather, Andi's Mom, had a party at a local doggie day care center. They have a sweet setup. The best part is the salt water dog pool. Maddie loved this. She jumped into the pool without hesitation time and time again to fetch tennis balls and toys.

As you can see, she came home, chewed on a toy and then crashed out for the rest of the evening. She was exhausted. It was a really fun day. Happy 6th Birthday Andi!

Its been awhile

Well my friends, it's been awhile since I posted a message on my blog. I have been traveling and settling in to my new home in Seattle, Washington. Two nights before I left, I met Meg at Johnny Mango for some good beer and delicious quesadilla's. Then the night before I left I had dinner with Staci at a swanky restaurant in the Tremont/Ohio City area of Cleveland. It was yummy. The next morning, I packed up and headed out.

I left Cleveland on a gray day, January 24th to be specific. My first stop was in Toledo, Ohio to spend some time with my friends Cathy and Maggie who are actually from Michigan, but were traveling in Ohio that day. We stayed in Toledo for a few nights and just hung out. It was great fun. Maddie got to play with their two dogs, Shadow and Lucy. It was so nice just to hang out with my good peeps.

Saturday morning, the 26th, I left Toledo and drove to Chicago to spend some time with my Uncle Geoff and my cousins Laura, Julie and Geoff as well as their families. It was nice to have dinner with them and to watch some of the playoff games surrounded by my family. I don't get to see them too often, so I really enjoyed having an extended amount of time with them and meeting all of their small children.

The following Monday I headed out onto I-80 in the bitter cold. It was minus 8 degrees and that wasn't even with the wind chill taken into account. Maddie and I were a bit cold. But once we got the iPod plugged in and I started singing some Michael Jackson, we both warmed up nicely. We drove through Illinois, Iowa and then into Nebraska. Our first stop was Lincoln, Nebraska. I actually liked Lincoln. I saw the University of Nebraska and the huge Cornhuskers stadium (nothing like our O H I O horseshoe). Go Bucks!

Tuesday was another day of driving. My next stop was Cheyenne, Wyoming. I have to admit, the weather was a bit challenging on this part of the drive, but nevertheless, this Cleveland native made it through unharmed. Maddie and I landed in Cheyenne with the help of Kanye West early enough in the day that I was able to take her for a nice little hike and play some fetch with her favorite...sticks! I didn't really care for Cheyenne too much. But then again, I wasn't there long enough to form an opinion, I suppose.

The next morning we took off for Salt Lake City, Utah...one of my favorite cities. Once we entered Utah, the vista changed dramatically and we were "in the mountains." It was tremendous. I was reminded quickly of why I love the west and how being in the mountains makes me feel so small. Everything was coated in white snow sort of like fresh lemon meringue. Anyway, I was meeting my friends Cathy and Heather in Salt Lake City to hang out and do some skiing. They were there for a trade show called Outdoor Retailer. It's a really cool show for the entire outdoor industry. Heather got Maddie and me a pass to walk through the show and Maddie got a ton of lovin' from everyone inside. I partied with a bunch of my friends from the running industry, especially my peeps at Brooks.

Friday, Cathy had to head home to Michigan so Heather, John and I went skiing at Alta in Utah. I took a beginners lesson since this was my first time on ski's. Its was quite entertaining and I lost track of how many times I fell. Overall, I have to say that I had a great time and really enjoy being in the snow with my friends. After skiing, Heather and I decided that we should depart for our long drive home to Seattle. Instead of flying back to Seattle, Heather drove with me (totally awesome, don't you think?).

Friday evening we made it to Idaho and then Saturday morning we were determined to make it to Seattle. We hit a couple of problems on our trip. The weather was horrible in Idaho because there was a very, very bad ice storm. We saw a tractor-trailor completely flipped over on the other side of the road. And there were several accidents along the way. As we crossed through Oregon and in to Washington, the ice turned to more ice and snow. We saw another accident and stopped to help. Further up the highway as we approached Snowqualmie Pass we were stopped in our tracks because the pass was closed due to avalanche control. Anyway, what should have taken us 9 hours, took us about 12 hours. We were tired and weary but glad to finally be home.

So for now, Maddie and I are living in Seattle and enjoying everything that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. She has three labrador brothers that she gets to play with. I am working on getting a job and still applying to medical school. All is good for now. Thanks for reading.

Staci has something to say

ok, well it may look like I have hacked into amy's blog to play a dirty trick...but that's only half true. The truth of the matter is that BEFORE she left America and went to Dominica, Dominician Republic, Denmark, Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks, holla!)...wherever the hell she was (i only know it was TOO far) we created this blog together, two authors, if you will...but her life was just that much more exciting than mine, and she has a bit more time on her hands to keep you updated...so it became all her own. However (yes, i'm long winded), it gives me this great little opportunity to share with you...Amy's last night in Cleveland. We had a very adventerous 3 months...but as I explained to her...she is my cheetah that I must now let back into the wild. I will never take back these 3 months as they have let us re-connect through tears, talks and many...MANY laughs. I love you girl...but I must share this incredible video of how you got down lastnight. I admire your bravery and wish you well on this next journey in your life. p.s. squeeze madders guts for me. O..and sorry the video is sideways...it's still good no matter what angle. Without further ado....I present....

I love this dog!

Okay, so my dog is an over-achiever! This is what it's like to take Maddie for a run or walk, she always has to pick out the biggest stick and carry it for miles. Ambition baby!

Staci decided to "pimp my dog." As you can see in this picture she is in full rap mode with her gold chains. Tomorrow she has a meeting with Kanye West to sign a record deal.

She's starting to doze off here...that's the spot on the couch that she always rests her head. Oh sleepy dog!

And look at how regal she is in this pic. She is quite stunning!

At night when she's really, really tired, I make her cuddle up on top of me. She almost always falls right to sleep. I can feel the rhythm of her respirations and her heart beat clicking away. It really is a wonderful feeling.

Great Lakes Brewing Company

Great Lakes Brewing Company is one of my favorite restaurant's in Cleveland. Not only do they have wonderful food, but the beer is incredible. A bunch of us got together to enjoy some libations...to the right is Staci, Noel, Rachael, Jenny, Meg, Rachael and Martha. Below is Staci and Noel.

Below is one of my favorite deserts...bread pudding. Yeah, I know, it's not chocolate, but it is so tasty. And to the right is Conway's Irish Ale. Conway's is a late winter seasonal brew and quite delicious. Great Lakes makes a variety of brew's, but I have a select few that I truly enjoy and Conway's is definitely one of them. Every January when it is released I am reminded that its almost St. Patrick's Day, my Gram's favorite holiday (next to her birthday).

This is Susan and me...always having fun! I am so lucky to have phenomenal friends who love me so very much. I love all of you!

So incredibly cute