A Woman and Her Shoes

Everyone knows the stereo-type about women and their shoes. I personally know many women who have a shoe addiction. They have a different pair of shoes for every outfit. They have shoes in their closet, under the bed, and in special bins they keep for the sole purpose of storing their shoes.

But I have to say, I never thought it would happen to me. But when I examine my shoe rack, I have to admit, I might have a problem. It's just a little different than most shoe addictions.



I love my shoes, and I like to think I have all my bases covered.


First, and probably most important, are my "go to" running shoes. They are the shoes I currently do all my distance and pavement running in. I went out on a limb a bit with the color this time, but they are suppose to have really good heel support. So far, so good.








Then there are the running shoes from days gone by. They were once the "go to" shoe, but now they are worn, but not forgotten. They are used for muddy trail runs, yard work, gardening and will become the "go to" shoe for a few adventure races (involving mud pits) this summer. After the mud pits, they will be retired.








Now these...these are my Merrell multi-terrain, adventure shoes. They are made for both ground and water. They worked wonderfully for a caving trip in Puerto Rico last year. I also love to wear them for kayaking, stream playing, rafting and on shorter trail runs and hikes. What makes them a really spectacular shoe, is that they were free! I won them in a drawing at the Muddy Buddy Adventure race in Chicago. They are a tad muddy because I took them on a very muddy trail run Saturday.




The Vibram Five Fingers were an anniversary present from my wonderful husband. I was really excited to try running in them. The theory is that they teach you to run the proper way with the ball of your foot striking first, rather than the heel. Unfortunately, because of a foot surgery I had about seven years ago, I just can't run that way. I have too much nerve damage in my foot to strike with the ball. But I still love my Vibrams. It's another pair that can be wet or dry. So I use them for kayaking, rock climbing, hiking (if it's not to rocky) and just hanging out in the summer. It's like being barefoot (which I'm typically not able to do anymore) with some protection on the bottom of your foot.






These are my New Balance trail runners. They are pretty much my hiking shoes. I don't like them for running the trails because they don't have enough flexibility in them; however, they are great for hiking. And, I prefer them to wearing hiking boots.








And, of course, you can't be a road biker without a good pair of biking shoes. Once you ride clipped into your bike, you'll never go back. It allows you to power up hills by both pushing with the quads and pulling with the hamstrings.





Finally, there are some shoes I tried out as running shoes, but they just didn't make the cut. They are nice and clean, so I wear them when I'm with clients. And everyone needs a selection of comfy sports sandals that can also get wet. You can throw them on with shorts or capris. They are nice and cool for summer.


So there you have it--my shoe addiction. I'm always on the lookout for a shoe that will add some fun and excitement to my life.

What's your favorite shoe?

If I knew then what I know now: Reflections over dirt

I spent a lot of time playing in the dirt this week. I went for a few muddy runs, and I spent three days doing yard work.

I put a truckload of topsoil down on the garden. I pulled weeds, tilled soil, planted flowers and seeds, and unloaded a few truckloads of mulch and spread it in the yard. At the end of each day my body ached, I smelled, and you could tell I had spent the day in the sun.

It was glorious.



As I was hoisting my shovel full of dirt and enjoying every minute of it, I kept thinking back to college. The question I asked myself was, "If I knew then what I know now, would I have taken the same path?" The answer is a resounding "No." At 18, I didn't know myself well enough to know what I wanted to do with my life. I'm not sure I even realized you could go to school to learn a trade that would keep you outside all day. I thought college meant that you study hard so you can get a good, 8 - 5 desk job with benefits and advancement potential. A career in the great outdoors never entered my mind.

I went back for my master's degree at 26. I chose a little better. I pursued journalism--and I do enjoy writing. But it wasn't until my 30s that I started to realize I was meant to be outside in a job that's physically demanding. That's not to say that I don't want to be mentally challenged in my career. I do--to some extent. But not to the point where I feel stressed--where the stresses of the day come out in my dreams at night (or in my lack of sleep at night).

In my 30s I met friends who made a career out of being naturalists, adventure guides, outdoor education specialists, bootcamp instructors, running coaches, photographers, etc. There's a whole world out there of careers that don't involve sitting behind a computer all day.

So finally, at 40 I'm headed in the right direction for me. I'm a fitness professional, freelance writer, scheduler for a magazine, gym manager, aerobics instructor--a little bit of everything (which is really good for my short attention span). And I have time to play in the dirt.

So if I knew then what I know now, would I take a different path? Yes. I wouldn't trade the friendships or the experiences I had in college for anything, but I would change my career path. I would have pursued a degree in exercise science or botany or landscape design.

I'm not sure what the solution is. College starts at 18 for most. And you have to pick some sort of career track. Some people seem to get it right. They are happily doing the careers they set out to do in college. But it just seems like such a young age to make that choice.

So I pose the question to you. Did you make the right choice back in college (or trade school, training, etc.)? Or if you could be 18 again, would you chose a different path?

How a love affair saved me from winter

Confessions of a former winter curmudgeon

I use to hate winter. I hated it with a passion. I was always cold. It seemed like the days--although short--were always dreary. By the end of February, I was one cranky girl. In fact I despised winter so much that I moved to California for the year-round warmth! (What I didn't count on was the crazy cost of living and how hard it would be to live 2000 miles away from everyone I loved).

I use to like snow. I figured if it was going to be cold outside, we might as well have snow. At least it's pretty. (And there was always the chance they'd close the office and I'd get a free day off). But after awhile, I would even get sick of the snow. I was seriously one of those people who would benefit from a SAD (seasonal affective disorder) light. In fact, last year, rather than purchase a SAD light, we purchased tickets to Puerto Rico. Now THAT helped make February a little brighter (although it made March really tough).

But then at the end of last year something happened. I met a new love--and that love's name was skiing.

I was a resistant skier. Ask my husband. He tried to get me to go the first winter we were together. I said, "No thanks. Skiing is not for me!" I had my reasons. I tried it once in my early 20s. A friend talked me into going. I borrowed some skis from my aunt (the old, long straight kind). The boots didn't fit quite right, but I figured they would do, and save me $20 in rental fees. I went to Mad River Mountain in Zanesfield, Ohio with a friend and her boyfriend. She gave me a five minute lesson on the bunny hill, and then left me to my own devices while she went to conquer the bigger hills. I managed the bunny hill for awhile. I wasn't comfortable, but I did it without killing myself. So I decided to try one of the other green runs they had.

During my five minute lesson I learned to snow plow. That's the only way I knew how to slow down or stop. This hill was quite a bit steeper than the bunny hill. I started going too fast and panicked. I then tumbled head over heels down the hill, leaving one ski up near the top somewhere. I twisted my knee and had to stay off of it for six weeks (which knocked me out of karate lessons for six weeks). That was it. I had tried skiing. I hated it. And, I was never going to do it again.

The transformation

Last winter I relented. I promised Mark (husband) that I would give it a try. He tried to convince me to go before our February trip to Puerto Rico, but I bailed. I wasn't about to break my leg and ruin all of our Puerto Rico adventures. But when we returned, with a good month of winter left, I agreed to go skiing.

It was much better this time. Having long boards attached to my feet still felt very foreign and uncomfortable. But skis had changed a bit in the fifteen years since my last attempt. They weren't as long. I could actually turn myself without falling down. I brought a friend along (another ski virgin) so she could feel awkward with me. Together we learned the basics. Mark was a very patient teacher. He started me on one ski and I learned to push myself around with a ski and a boot. He taught me how to control my speed by turning. He coached me down the bunny hill by skiing from side to side, slowly. By the end of the night, I could conquer that hill that defeated me fifteen years earlier. And by the end of the night I was hooked!

We only managed to get one more ski day in last winter before Spring arrived and melted the snow. But when winter rolled around this year, I was actually excited. I was going to become a skier! Mark (sweet husband that he is) took me to the ski swap at the beginning of the season, and got me all geared up. Now I looked like a skier! I had my own skis, boots that actually fit and poles (and of course, I had to find a jacket, hat and gloves--all color coordinated--to complete the ensemble).

The rest is history! I LOVE skiing. And because of skiing, I LOVE winter. Yes, I said it, "I love winter!" Instead of moping over the fact that we still have over a month of cold and snow to go, I'm moping over the fact that ski season is almost over!

I love skiing through the snow. I love the snow in the trees. I like warming up by the fire with some hot chocolate in a ski lodge. I like winter vacations to cold places! I love having a winter sport that keeps my legs strong and muscular. There's just only so much training you can do on a treadmill. Skiing has been a great supplemental workout for me. And the better I get, the more I like it. I've now conquered all the green slopes I've come across, most of the blues and even a few black diamonds (the more mild black diamonds).


Skiing has changed my entire outlook on winter. So when I hear fellow Ohio friends saying mean things about Winter, I feel the urge to defend her! "Learn to ski!" I want to shout. Or if skiing isn't your thing, try ice skating, ice climbing, sledding, tubing, build a snowman, go on a snow hike, have a snowball fight, build a snow fort. Just do something that allows you to embrace winter. Make your winter fun! Because folks (at least many of you reading this), you live in Ohio (or some other snowy place) and winter isn't going anywhere!

The DINK Life

My name is J.J. and I’m a DINK by choice.

DINK – Acronym for Dual Income No Kids. My husband and I are two working adults with no children (unless you count the furry variety) and our lifestyle reflects that. We like it that way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-child. I’m just anti having my own child. I think children are great—in small doses and when they belong to someone else.

At times I feel like I’m missing some nurturing gene. The lives of so many of my friends and co-workers are centered around their children. For the most part, I’ve given up sitting at the lunch table at work because the conversations always revolve around child-rearing. People often look at me in disbelief when I express that I just have no interest in having children. Of course, now that I’m edging in on 40 many just assume it has to do with my age. Although several times since Mark and I married I’ve heard, “Hey it could happen. Women in their 40s have babies all the time now!” My typical response is, “If it does, I’m going to have a very stern talk with my doctor!” Because, believe me, we are doing everything in our power to make sure it doesn’t. What boggles my mind; however, is that so many women feel this way. When the comments come from someone in my mother’s generation, I understand it. That’s what was expected of you—you grow up, get married, and have babies. But with the choices women have today, I’m surprised that so many women—so many couples—opt to have children. Again, I mean no offense to parents. I just feel like we certainly can’t be such freaks of nature! There must be other couples out there who choose DINKdom. Children are expensive and time-consuming. They are life-consuming. I feel like Mark and I have such freedom. We just returned from a trip to Puerto Rico where we only had to focus on what the two of us wanted do to. We go to restaurants where you could never take children. And when we spend a little more than we should there’s never any guilt that we’re spending our kid’s college fund.

The reactions to my self-chosen DINKness are varied. I’ve heard everything from envy to insult. Yes, that’s right, I’ve been told that by choosing not to pro-create I’m being selfish (once I was even told that I’m holding my uterus hostage). Personally, I think the opposite is true—I’m being as unselfish as I possibly can by admitting I’m way too selfish to be a parent. I would be a bad parent. I don’t want to spend my Saturdays at soccer practice. I want to spend them going on hikes that you could never take children on—or at wine tastings. I don’t want to go to McDonald’s—I want sushi! And I want my career to be a top priority in my life (as soon as I figure out what I want to be when I grow up—but that’s a topic for another blog).

The only downside we find to DINKness is that it can be lonely. No, not because we don’t have a house full of lil’ ones running around. It can be lonely because all of our friends are busy with their children so they can’t come out and play with us. We go on some great adventures—weekends in the mountains, caving, kayaking, rappelling—it would be fun to have another couple along with us. It would be nice to simply enjoy dinner out with some adults—but without a month’s notice for their babysitter it’s hard to schedule. So, for the most part, we adventure alone.

People sometimes ask me who’s going to take care of us when we’re old. I can’t answer that question. Hopefully, we won’t spend too many of our senior years in need of being taken care of. If we do, we’ll address that when the time comes. There’s no guarantee your children are going to be around for that anyway. They could live 2000 miles away by then.

DINKdom isn’t the life for everyone. I think a lot of people need to have children—it fulfills them. For us, living in the kingdom of DINKS is pretty fulfilling. I think we’ll stay.

Blogging about blogging

Hey! It's my very first blog ever--a blog about my quest to blog. I use to write all the time. And on a professional level my job requires me to write, but not about very fun topics. I would really like to get back into the world of writing--maybe even publish some freelance articles--so through the advice of a friend, I decided blogging was the first step.

My hope is to publish a weekly blog about fairly light topics--life, fitness, the comedy that is our world (if I get on a political rant, I'll alienate my followers and they'll post mean and nasty comments).

You'll notice the title of my blog site is "DINKdom"--having to do with the dual income no kid world I live in. Many of the choices my husband and I make in our lives stem from the fact that we are DINKS--so I found it an appropriate title. In fact, I think it will be the topic of next week's blog.

So welcome to my blog--the blog about nothing--no, no...not really. Hopefully, you'll enjoy my ramblings about everyday life...maybe pick up a few fitness tips, learn about some new adventures, and enjoy joining me in this journey.