Paleo update

I have been thinking about what I would write for this post all month now. I wasn't rehearsing what I might say, but was excited to know what information I would have to report. I challenged myself at the beginning of the year to eat Paleo for 90 days. I first heard of Paleo from my first Colorado trainer, Matt. Matt was awesome at kicking my butt, but eventually he left to start his own Crossfit gym. It is a little out of the way for me to go to, so I stick to Bally's but I did make it over for a few grueling Crossfit workouts. During one of our sessions Matt told me about a book called The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. I blew him off, I had my own plan. He persisted for a little while, but I was headstrong on my own ways.

Fast forward to fall of 2010. I was down 40 pounds for the year but struggling to get weight off around my midsection. 40 pounds was only one pant size. I was frustrated, tried changing up my diet, even trained for and ran a half marathon and the tummy wouldn't budge. Meanwhile one of my favorite clients, Laurie, started dating a guy named Steve who is a competitive Crossfitter. He runs a blog, stevepaleo.blogspot.com, so I set to check out her now hottie boyfriend. You should check him out too, he's nearly 50 and FIT. But oh, that darn Paleo again! She started eating this way and raved about the delicious food. Then there was my client Maria. The first time I did her hair, she had just come from a Crossfit workout. We chatted about Crossfit and then she asked me if I ate "Paleo." I got a little curious and asked her a few questions. It's a higher fat diet, it eliminates grains and dairy, and really anything that's processed. During one visit I asked her what her doctor had to say and she informed me that she is a doctor herself! 3 against 1, I toyed with the idea until Maria told me straight about a patient that was prediabetic, held weight around her middle, and the prescription Maria gave her was to read and live The Paleo Solution. Her next visit she was no longer in the diabetes danger zone, and while she hadn't really lost weight, she was down 4 dress sizes! I was sold, and bought the book that day.

I read the book, took in way too much information, but figured out what I needed to do to adapt the lifestyle. Robb informs you that it is good to know why you're doing it, but to give it at least 30 days and see how you feel. I was up for the challenge and decided that I would shoot for 3 full months. I was nervous about my ravenous sugar cravings, my love for cottage cheese, and my obsession with baking. So I baked myself silly, ate 38445 pieces of fudge at Christmas, and got rid of anything in my cupboards that might tempt me. So here we are, the very end of January. I did everything Robb told me to do. I even delved into reading Paleo for Athletes so I could learn how to boost my athletic performance.

Things I hate about diets: I am hungry, grumpy, moody, frustrated, CRAVE sugar (mostly cake for some weird reason), tired, upset, feel overwhelmed, and am looking for any excuse to call it a fail and get out of it.

Things I LOVE about the Paleo lifestyle: I am never hungry, everything is delicious, I have TONS of energy, I run faster, I recover faster, my skin is glowing, my eyes are whiter, I sleep better, and most of all- I dropped an entire size. My clothes are literally falling off of me.


Eating Paleo is THE EASIEST thing I have ever done. I never knew that I could feel so free from food. Although the diet is pretty restrictive (Fruits, vegetables, protein, nuts), I love that I can go to the produce section and pick out anything I want. I am learning new ways to cook, trying new vegetables, and learning that everything tastes better when you don't dull your taste buds with processed garbage. It takes a little more planning and preparation and even costs a little bit more money, but it is worth every minute and every penny. I am so excited to continue to eat Paleo, and know that it will help me DOMINATE my marathon in May!

Leaps and Bounds

I have dedicated 2011 to be a better version on myself. Something I've realized is that even though I can make the decision to be better, I also have to make some changes. Last weekend I made some pretty deep realizations about myself. Sometimes getting into that deep dark stuff that lies beneath is not very fun. I hate feeling vulnerable, and exposing all that crud (even to myself), was exactly what I made myself do. So I reached down deep and figured out where I needed to make some changes. Big change/accomplishment number one, I took my nose ring out. For good. Because I am choosing to be as obedient as I darn well possibly can.

Big change number two, I am no longer eating my feelings. Happy/sad/bored/excited/deserving/lonely/afraid/empowered.. just a few of the reasons I normally eat. I will update on how the Paleo is going after I've completed my first month. But I for once feel in control of food, instead of feeling like it controls me. Last week I dug out a pair of dusty skinny jeans in a size 10 that I over ambitiously purchased over the summer. They zip, they button, and I can still breathe.

And last but not least, I got a promotion at work. I have moved up to Element 3! This means that I am busy enough that I get to raise my prices. For existing clients, each service goes up $5. For new clients, each service goes up $10. This should help me have a busier schedule, and make more money. I've been working towards this for awhile now, so I couldn't be more excited!

I'll expound more on this with my Paleo post, but I have to tell you that this week I finally felt like a runner. Yes, after 4 races, countless miles (I'm counting them this year), 8 pairs of $100+ shoes, and 8 million ipod playlists, I feel like I can call myself a runner. I finished week 2/17 on my marathon training today by wrapping up my week with a 7 mile run. 7 miles in just under 65 minutes, and I didn't even try to make any excuses in my head of why I should stop. Woo!

Enjoying Wednesdays

“For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” Souza


I think most people look forward to weekends. Relaxing, time with family or friends, sleeping in, movies, concerts, etc. For me, I love Saturdays. Although it's a day packed full of work, it usually leads to getting dressed up, letting loose with friends, and no curfew. Sundays I get to recover, go to church, be pretty lazy, and get to bed early to face a grueling new week. Until now.

Monday I started my marathon training. 17 weeks of running 3 weekdays and a long run on Saturdays after work. There's plenty of other cardio, strength training, and yoga in there too. No more staying out late with friends, after work trips to Hacienda, or skimping on sleep. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, realizing that I am sacrificing my social life to work towards a goal. I realize that I will be missing out on birthday celebrations, dating, and eating out. And I think I'm okay with that. In the past when I have "gone on a diet," I couldn't wait for it to end. I'd count down the days til the weekend, til the end of the month, or whenever my release from food hell would be. But in this last year I have adapted healthy habits and enjoy eating a clean diet. I also really enjoy running most of the time. The rush of accomplishing something that I would have once thought impossible is worth the achy joints and nights staying in. While some days seem to drag, or be stressful, they are all part of my life. I can wish for the weekend, or May 15th, or summer... but all while I am wishing I am going to skip over enjoying the little accomplishments.

karat2.011

I am fortunate to work in a career that I am passionate about with an amazing group of women. While I am able to pick what I do, and where I choose to work, I don't always to get to choose who I work on. There's the clients who are always late, the ones who cancel two minutes after their appointment was supposed to start, have gobs of unruly hair, still style their hair like they're in the 80's no matter what I do to it, the ones that make unreasonable requests (while I can make your hair look like Jessica Biel's, the body and face are not included), or the ones that downright just aren't people I would normally choose to spend time with. Luckily, the good ones far outweigh the bad. I have found an overwhelming amount of support and encouragement from many of my clients. My experiences with these clients remind me why I do what I do.

Last week, one specific client came in with a brilliant idea. I'm not talking a picture of Scarlet Jo's new bob, or a fiery new color, but an idea that I have been thinking about since she was in. As we were talking about the new year and our new years resolution, she explained that she was going to become a new and improved, or 2.0, version of herself. Not different, not so far out of her element, but give 110% and get the most out of everything she does. I loved the concept and have been thinking of ways to create kara t 2.011 in 2011.

I love New Years Resolutions. Don't you? I am the master of goal setting/goal accomplishing. It could be my stubborn nature, or my ridiculous strong will, but while I don't consider myself competitive- I love a good challenge if it is against myself. I try to put myself out of my element every day, always progressing, evolving, improving, and learning. I love that the quote that says, "Life isn't about finding yourself, but creating yourself."

In 2011, I hope to create a better Kara T. I refuse to declare anything as "the best ever," but always as "the best yet." 2010 for me was a revolutionary year. Because of the hard work I put in, I was able to accomplish goals that even five years ago seemed completely out of reach. As I have entered this year I know that I am a stronger, more confident person and ready to tackle a lot of different areas of my life.

In 2011, I want to do things I have never done before. So far I have gone to my first Avalanche game and tried hot yoga (loved it). Not bad for two weeks in. I am also hoping to go to Europe, or at least travel somewhere I have never been. Of course my my biggest challenge is to run the marathon in May. If you could do something new this year, what would it be?

While I tend to be extremely OCD in some areas of my life, I am pretty messy. I like a clean kitchen. I don't really leave a whole lot out around the apartment, but during the week I tend to collect piles of clothes and "stuff" around my room leaving me a weekend of cleaning. I have realized that the biggest problem is that I have too much stuff. I house sat for one of my clients a few months ago, and was impressed with how immaculate her house was. I observed it was because they had no clutter, because there was nothing to be clutter. Not only do I was to get organized, I want to simplify my life. I feel like if I can let go of a lot of my "stuff," I can learn that to live with fewer "things." Until I have a house of my own, I don't really have use for a lot of the things that tend to collect in my closet.

In addition: I want to improve some relationships I have with friends, be a better listener, eat cleaner (so far, so good), grow spiritually, update my blog more often, broaden my social activities, be more on time for social activities, keep up on the yoga and stretching, read(books) more often, attend more sporting events, see more of Colorado, and learn not to let little things get to me. It is fun to think of where I will be at this time next year.

Did anyone else make resolutions?

Queso

Cheese. That's what this post is about.

A few years ago I got sucked into the blogging world. My sisters wrote post after post about their cute marriages, cute pregnant bellies, cute babies, cute toddlers, etc. I look forward to the fun updated pictures and happenings of my friends and family. Then I discovered my favorite part of blogging- food blogs. Cookie Madness, Picky Palate, The Recipe Girl.. I check my sidebar daily to explore new fun recipes, step by step directions, and fancy pictures that I call "food porn." Somehow salivating over images of delicious, naughty food, leaves me dreaming of sugar plums and chocolate chip cookies.

That was cheesy, wasn't it?

Speaking of cheese, that's what blogs are made of. The monster, disobedient, terror of a child suddenly is the perfect dream baby who only spits out cute cut and paste sentences, always smiling perfectly for the camera. The kitchen counter that is normally covered in mail, crumbs, and library books is showcasing perfect lighting, a Kitchenaid stand mixer, and perfectly packaged ingredients. But somewhere between the blogs about food, families, fashion, friends, there's a little bit of the etc. I guess that's the category I try and fit into. I don't blog all that often because I don't have a whole lot to say. Well, that's not true. I have a whole lot to say. I just say it outloud (or maybe via text or email) to anyone that might be reading this.

As part of my new years resolutions, I am going to try and update this a little more often. Hopefully my posts will be less cheesy, because as part of my new years resolutions I am also cutting out cheese. The real kind. The kind you put on pizza, sandwiches, pasta, enchilidas, or even just eat alone if it's that kind of day. I am also eliminating the rest of dairy, grains, and anything processed/full of preservatives. That leaves me to lean protein, non starchy vegetables, nuts, berries, and eventually a little more fruit. This "Paleo Revolution" is not about losing weight, but being healthy. I am excited to live a little cleaner and increase my athletic ability.

Last February I signed up for the Rock and Roll half marathon without thinking through the consequences. But between February and October I was sore, achy, tired, and overwhelmed. Somewhere along that path I also became more toned, lost weight, and found a passion for running. I challenged my body and mind, and realized that I have the power to accomplish so many things that I never thought I would be able to do. As a very overweight child and teenager, I made excuses, played the victim, and chose food as an outlet. As a fit adult I am happy to say that I can set healthy goals, work hard, and accomplish them. Up so far for 2011 is the Platte River half April 10th, and the Colfax full May 15th. After this last month of over indulging, I am excited to get focused and work hard toward running that marathon in May.

Since I can blog about whatever the hell I want (yup, it's MY blog, so I can say hell), I figure I can use this a digital training journal/outlet/ranting message board. It's more exciting than my dating life(non existent), friend drama(no drama here), kid stories(I might be member of Amazon mom but I don't have any real kids), or anything else most girls my age might be blogging about. Since I'm hanging up my bakers hat I'm going to try and get a little more into paleo recipes/cooking. Just don't expect any cheese in 2011.

friendsgiving

Since I wasn't able to go to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving this year, I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner! My friend Dave decided to come out from Utah and brought his roommate, Josh. A girl from work, Kelsey, also joined in on our friendsgiving dinner. Dave prepared a delicious turkey and incredible mashed potatoes. Kelsey brought green beans (with bacon!!), and homemade sausage stuffing. I handled the rolls, and of course, dessert. I finally got to put my Cuisinart ice cream maker to use that Victoria bought me for my birthday, and made Maple Butter Blondies. Yumm.

After I picked Dave and Josh up from the airport, we headed to Wash Park for the 37th annual Turkey Trot. It was a 4 mile run around the outside, then inside of the park. It was crazy packed, and a lot of fun. It was especially cold and I think my lungs are still recovering. I finished in 34 minutes, which was my fastest pace yet. It was a good thing we got a quick run in before all of the eating we did alllllllllllllll day long.

It was really fun to have my friends hanging out, watching football, and preparing dinner. We even got to eat at my kitchen table. Even though it wasn't my first Thanksgiving away from home, it was my first Thanksgiving being without ANY family. I am looking forward to being with the family for Christmas.

Half Marathon

We were with out internet for a really long time, but we are back to having it so I guess I should probably blog a little more often. I will make it part of my new years resolutions, and if it's successful, there will probably be a post about that.

In February my friend Kim signed up for the Rock N Roll Denver marathon. She mentioned that she signed up, and asked if anyone else wanted to do it too. I casually mentioned that if there was a half I would do it. I don't think I realized at the time that I wasn't just going to run 13.1 miles 9 months later, but I was going to complete several weeks of running 30-35 miles.

Training was a semi easy task for awhile. 6 or 7 mile runs were challenging, but not hard. As I increased my long runs to 8, 9, 10, 11 miles.. I was ready to back out of my commitment. But even though I dreaded my long run days, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment after I completed them.

And so race week came. I cried every day. Not really about running, but worried that I would over sleep, or eat the wrong things, or not have anywhere to put my keys. With the support of my friend Nick who dropped me off at 5:45 am, my trainer Joe who encouraged me, and countless "you can do its" from clients, I was ready to tackle the 13.1 miles.

I got to the race early, stretched, tried to keep warm (41 degrees), and tried to relax. I chatted with a few people hanging out, and waited in my corral to start. I was in the 13th corral so when the race started at 6:55, they released the first one, and then each one 1-2 minutes apart.

The first few miles were a breeze. It was cold, and felt good to run. I tried to soak it all in without dumping all of my adrenaline on the first couple of miles. We were 3 miles in before I even saw a sign of how far we'd come. I thought to myself, "Wow, that's almost a 5k" which was the first race I ever did last November. The first few miles were also through lower downtown (LODO), which was really cool to run through. Around mile 4 we headed up 17th which was a hill. Good thing it was only mile 4, because it was a pretty good incline. We ran down 17th, through city park, and even crossed my street. The familiarity of it was kind of cool.

The worst part of the race was around mile 9, when we arrived at Cheeseman Park. It was uphill, and had it been mile 6 or 7, I probably would have stopped to walk. But I had just eaten my GU and was ready to finish up. I trudged up the hill, and headed back toward downtown where the race ended. The last mile was downhill (same hill but different block at the uphill in mile 4), and you could see the finish line at the end. It was nice to be able to see the end in sight and rush to the end.

Since it was my first long race, I didn't really know what time I would finish in. I was hoping I would finish around 2:15, but would have been happy with anything under 2:30. I trained around a 10 minute mile but just wasn't sure. I ended up finishing in 2:01:09 which means I ran a 9:30 minute mile. I was absolutely thrilled with my time but of course wish I could have made it under 2 hours. It definitely gave me a time to beat. I felt great when I finished and definitely could have gone a little further. Not the whole race again, but that is something to work towards too.

Fire

Monday evening I was at the gym when the lights flashed. A few minutes later a slew of fire trucks raced by the window. Shortly after I received a text from Danielle asking me if I saw the smoke. She told me that a powerbox had exploded and that the power was out. Seeing as it had reached 102 degrees on Monday, I took my time at the gym so I could skip the air conditioner and lights being shut off.

As I got closer to home, I realized that the power box she had mentioned was actually an Xcel power substation. I had to weave through the neighborhood to get home, and as I got closer I realized why. The explosion was one street away from my own. I parked my car and walked over to the next block to see what was going on. There was smoke, ash, and soot everywhere. People were swarming to the scene to see what was going on. It was clear that the explosion was more thsn just a little fire.

When I entered my building, there were alarms going off. I trecked my way up the 5 flights of stairs, only a little bit of dim light escaping from the hallways. The building was silent other than the alarms, and it felt empty like I wasn't supposed to be inside. My apartment was like an oven, and you could see nothing but flashing lights and smoke outside my window. I started searching the news on my phone to find out if the power would be coming back, and in the process found out that 31,000 people in Denver were without power due to the explosion. As it got darker outside, my apartment got creepier and creepier. I felt like I was in 911, and suddenly had visions of trying to run down the 5 flights of stairs to run from a fire.

Thankfully I had a friend that let me stay at her apartment that night. I later found out that power didn't come on til after midnight. Xcel has proceeded to call my phone every day at odd hours of the night and morning warning me that because we are sharing a power load that our power has to be shut off intermittently. It is a miracle that only one person was injured from the accident.

finally

It's been awhile since I sat at my computer and typed out the happenings of my ever so exciting single life. Mainly because lately none of our neighbors have been kind enough to let us leech off of their internet connection. In fact, I'm typing this out in Word until I can take my laptop somewhere with wifi. It's either this or peck at the tiny keys on my cell phone screen, which would only lead to predictive text creating all kinds of interesting twists to my otherwise plain and repetitive life.

I left my jacket at home yesterday since the sun was shining (as it almost always is here in Colorado), and the highs were close to 70. The heat wave when I got into my car after work was comforting in a "spring has arrived" kind of way. Having the windows down and my radio turned up made for an enjoyable ride through rush hour traffic.Oh what a tease Mother Nature is! This morning was beautiful, but by 4:00 wet, heavy snow was pounding down covering my car in a slushy mess. While driving home in it was grueling, the 2.2 seconds I stood in it to de-ice my windshield wipers left my teeth chattering and my wet clothes clinging to my ice cold skin.

Hopefully spring will decide to come back and stick around for awhile. I am looking forward to long Sunday walks, and laying out at my pool on my days off, watermelon, outdoor concerts (Muse, Paramore, Lady Gaga..), not having to reshave my legs after getting goosebumps from being so cold, and so many more things that the sunshine has to offer us.

In recent happenings (we'll stick to recent instead of revisiting anything noteworthy since my last blog post in October), there are definitely a few things worth mentioning. About a month ago I ventured to Salt Lake for Erik and Cori's wedding. Erik has been one of my very best friends since we first moved to Utah. I was won over when I first met Cori during a stop they made to Denver over the summer, and was thrilled when I heard they were going to tie the knot. I offered to do Cori's hair and make-up and loved spending time with both of them the day of their wedding. I was so excited to be able to see so much of my family while I was there. I have a video of Harper dancing to Lady Gaga on my phone that makes me laugh so hard I cry every time I watch it. Even though Tyson has been home from his mission since December, this trip was the first time I got to see him. Aubrie and Greg left for a cruise the day after I got there, but I was able to see them and spend some time hanging out with Hailey and Gavin the next morning. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family.

During my trip to New York, Julianne introduced me to her sister in law Sarah. Sarah is a fashion designer in NYC with a clothing line called Edelweiss by Sarah. She just finished her fall/winter 2010 line and wanted to do the photoshoot for it outside. Because the weather in New York has been so terrible (maybe somewhat like we're experiencing now?), she decided to come out here to have Julianne shoot it. She hired me to do the hair and make-up for it, and it was a truly amazing experience. With 16 looks to shoot we spent all day outside at Bear Creek park. That has probably been my favorite day I've spent in Colorado. Trees and fashion, two of my favorite things brought together. And I feel like it is important to inform you all that for the very first time in my life, I squatted outside to pee. I hope you're all proud.


As part of my new years resolution, I signed up for a half marathon in October. I could have signed up for one sooner, but I felt like it would help keep me motivated beyond getting ready for summer. Besides, it's the Rock n' Roll marathon! I have been running at least 5 days a week, trying to reach 25 miles on the treadmill, plus the elliptical and weight training. One of my running frustrations has been headphones. They never stay in my ears! I'm constantly adjusting them, plus sweating through a pair about every 3-4 months. Recently I discovered the Vapor by Nike. They are an ear bud with an adjustable back. Clear sound, comfort, no adjusting! Also the cord can shorten if you are running with an arm band so that you aren't getting tangled up in them. I am possibly doing a 5k next month, definitely doing a 10k on Memorial Day, and moving outside to the pavement once the ice has melted. I am also working on some other new years resolutions that I will update about on a later blog post, which hopefully won't take me 4 months to get around to writing.

New York City!

Since I've moved to Colorado, I've been saving up to go to New York. Most of the time when I get cash tips, I put them in a jar in my room for my "fun fund." I had quite a bit of money saved up, and then last year I used all of it for cash down on my car. I've spent the last 8 months building it back up so I could finally go to New York City. One of my best friends from Denver, Julianne, lives in Manhattan and I have been wanting to go out and see her. Because she drops back in to Denver to see her boyfriend a lot, it has been hard to figure out when I could go visit. About a month ago I finally booked a ticket out to see her. I only got to stay Friday til Monday, but we packed in a lot. However, I am sitting on my couch during snow day #2 for the week and am wishing that I had stayed longer.

Friday when I got in, I got on a bus toward her apartment. She was on a bus headed toward me, so we could take the rest of the ride together. Somehow I ended up on the wrong bus and headed toward Queens. I then got off the bus, walked a few blocks back to the airport, and got on the right bus. It wouldn't be an adventure for me if I didn't get lost at least a few times. We finally met up and dropped my stuff off at her place. We then went to the Museum of Metropolitan Art (the MOMA). Each floor had different themes (photography, painting, architecture, etc. We also went to dinner at this little hole in the wall Italian place, and it was delicious.

When I booked my trip, J hadn't realized that she had already committed to photograph a bat mitzvah in New Jersey. Instead of rescheduling my trip, I thought I would just explore the city by myself. J suggested that I take a bus tour through the city. Excellent idea. Unfortunately, it rained ALL day on Saturday. And the bus wasn't covered. I still had an excellent time, and got to see all of the major tourist highlights of the city and learn a lot of cool history. You could choose at each stop if you wanted to stay on the bus, or stop for the site. If you got off, there would be another bus later that you could get on. Because of the rain I wasn't really interested in getting off very often. I also didn't want to deal with getting lost. One stop I did get off at was Ground Zero. I stopped in at Paul's Chapel, which stands right in front of where the two towers once stood. The fact that it wasn't destroyed is a miracle in itself. This is where many of the firefighters, and survivors of the disaster came to sleep and rest. It is now covered in shrines to 9/11.


This is one of the ones that was very touching to me. It was a callaboration of flyers people had posted all over the city after that day. If someone was missing, family members would hang up flyers all over the city that had their picture, and a number to call if they had any details. This included people that worked at the World Trade Center, firefighters, police offers...

After I finished the tour, I decided to go shopping at H&M. I have google maps on my phone, so I looked up where the closest one was. Google maps on my phone is a little slow. I got lost, again. It took me about an hour to get there. Right before I got there I got completely splashed by a cab and was dripping wet. Then I arrived at the store to a sign saying that they were closed for a private event. I then spent another half our walking to the one on 5th Avenue, which was packed. I didn't get a whole lot of shopping done that day.

Sunday we got up and went to breakfast at Alice's Tea Cup. It was the cutest little tea shop, with the most incredible scones. We didn't have to wait for a table, so we had a lot of time before church. We stopped at a bakery that I've been eyeing called Levain. They makes breads, cinammon rolls, and the most incredible 1 1/2 inch thick cookies. Not cakey, no doughy, just delicious. Then we headed to Central Park. This was probably my very favorite part of the trip. It was THE most beautiful day outside. Sunny, perfect temperature, gorgeous trees. I love trees.


After that we went to church. The story above the church is the temple, so when you look up this is what you see.


After church we went to Brooklyn for Julianne to look at a few apartments. This might have killed my excitement to want to ever live in NYC just a little bit. Then we took the ferry so we could go past the Statue of Liberty. The night was just as beautiful as the day.


Monday was my last day, and we had a lot to do before going to the airport. We shopped on Canal Street, which is kind of like China Town. I was looking for a wallet, but couldn't find one that I liked. After we went to lunch with my friend Greg who I've known since middle school and now works in the city. We ate at the most delicious sandwich shop called WichCraft. I got to go back to H&M (dry) and got to do some real shopping. When we got back to J's apartment to grab my bags, there was a street vendor selling wallets. I was so excited, it was the one thing left that I wanted to buy and the perfect way to wrap up my trip.

Here are some more pictures from the trip.