Most of my friends have asked me "why?"


My husband shakes his head and asks "why?"


Most importantly my body really yearns to know "why?".


And truthfully, I don't have much of an answer.


Expect I want to face the challenge, I need the motivation to get me out out of the office and off my butt, and I love the feeling at the finish. After a year and a half of rest I've decided to lace those shoes back up and begin training again.




LA Marathon here I come!

The pain starts around 5:30am on March 2nd and will subside, hopefully, about 4 hours later. (I'm hoping to improve my SF Marathon time.)

I need to make a public declaration of my intentions to run, or I will be tempted to back-out. 26.2 miles is grueling....but for some explainable reason I keep coming back.

Beached Whales

We've all heard friends (or ourselves) complain that they look and feel like "a beached whale", particularly after one of those evenings (we've all had them) that include a pint of B&J, extra-cheese and pepperoni pizza, and a bottle of wine. However, I have come to the conclusion that I never have to worry about looking like a beached whale. No, my metabolism hasn't turned into a miracle machine nor have I found a new sensational diet pill...rather, I've seen a beached whale, and it would take a lot more than an extra-large pizze to make anyone that big!

All joking aside, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties are experiences a "whale" of a problem; 3 blue whales have died in the area in the last three weeks. Blue Whales are considered engangered species and the number of recent deaths has officials worried that there is an event affecting high morality. While scientists are claiming the whale deaths are a result of the 170,000 pound creatures being hit by ships many wonder if it they unusual number of deaths has anything to do with the navy's recent practice of sonar testing in the area.

Anway, be sure to keep your ears and eyes open for more whale deaths. If this problem persists we may have to take some action! (Particularly because beached whales = flocks of hungry sharks = me scared of lossing a toe while surfing.) Also, remember, never compare yourself to a beached whale - it isn't good for the self esteem and it isn't even close to being true!

The Hoskings

Thanks to the blog-craze and too many hours sitting at a computer screen I have recently been able to connect with old friends via the virtual world. One such friend asked how RJ and I have been doing since our move to Ventura nearly two years ago and I realized that rather than type a long response back to her and all my other rediscovered friends, it would be much easier, and much more generational of me, to just blog about us. So, here's the update:




(In S.F. celebrating 3 years)

RJ and I just celebrated out 3rd wedding anniversary. We headed to San Fran for a long weekend and as usual we had a blast; we still are best friends. The last three years have flow by, and yet I feel as though we've been married forever sometimes. Right now we are enjoying out time together. Recently our friends have gone through a Baby Boom and while all the new babies are wonderful we still want a few more years of sleep, lazy Saturdays, and surfing without having to switch-off for baby duty. Plus I recently read a great quote: "Having a child is like getting a tattoo on your face - you need to be totally sure you want it and totally ready to commit."

(Following in his brother's cute litte footsteps - Elias Blackwell)

(Newest newcomer Malikia)

When RJ and I aren't hanging out with friends (old and new) we've been enjoying life near the beach. Taking advantage of long summer days with small waves we invested in longboards last summer. I've fallen in love with mine, a single-fin yellow, and RJ likes to switch it up between his longboard, fish, and egg. Despite being a bit seedy Ventura is a sweet little town and we love the Saturday Famer's Market and small-town feel of our area.

Sometimes we have to go to work. RJ is loving his job in Quality at Patagonia. This weekend he is at a Flying Fishing Convention in Denver (slaving away I'm sure). I am the production and marketing manager at a lifestyle and wine magazine in Santa Barbara. While I do work hard there are perks (see photo below of me respresenting the company at an event). We are totally taking advantage of being DINKs (double-income-no-kids) and have enjoyed exploring throughout California on the weekends.





We have been extremely blessed. We love each others, we have great jobs, Ventura is a fab little town, we have a wonderful church (Reality), amazing friends, etc. Praise the Lord that right now our only worries are whether or not the the housing marketing is going to finally drop enough for us to buy something, how I can start my motivational speaking career, and how many ways can we cook the 100 pounds of salmon RJ brought home from his Canadian vacation.