Fantastic Fall!

Life in Vienna, it's been good lately! Things are still a little crazy, but going well. I love this time of year, it's pumpkin soup, fall colors, bright blue skies, warm days and cool nights. I've even gotten my boots out. Although, today I have been trying to force myself to switch over my closet to Fall/Winter clothes and store the summer things, and I just can't do it. In fact, even though it is freezing out, I am wearing a tank top and jeans. And, have been successfully avoiding the task by catching up with friends on Skype and cooking for the week. Apparently I think the world is ending, I bought enough food over the weekend to feed an army. Then I made enough turkey chile to feed a family of five for a week or so. Whatever. Since a few of us bought dirndls, we have been looking for excuses to wear them. We went to a festival the other weekend, and all I can say, is I felt like I went to a costume party, but was the only one that dressed up. Ha! It was fun though, and I did eat some pumpkin soup. Oh, so last weekend a friend and I decided we would go on this "trail run" and meet her boyfriend and his friend at the top for a little lunch and then take the gondola down. Without going into too much detail, that is definitely not how it worked out. We never did find the trail, or make it to the top, and at one point as I was holding on to a stump and looking left and right and wondering what in the world I was going to do, totally stuck and terrified... I realized that we were those people, you know, the ones that you hear about on the news that had to be rescued by helicopters and they had no food and water and what were they thinking, they must be complete idiots? Well, we were those people. Obviously, we did eventually make it down, but it was quite an experience. One that I don't need to have again. Training. What am I training for? I have NO idea, yet I am up every morning going for a run, at the gym after work and running home and doing rides on the weekends. I feel like I am training for nothing, but harder and more hours than when I am actually training. I added in weight training and that seems to be going okay. I did sign up for the Nice Ironman and am already totally excited about it. I did a hilly ride this weekend, and hope to do MANY more so I can do the hills better in Nice this time around. I am already planning on going to this weekend training camp in Nice in the spring. I'm not sure what the dates are yet, but will sign up as soon as they are posted. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do next year, life is good and easy here, but is it time to move? Try a new school, city and life? While I haven't made any final decisions, it's looking like another year or so here in Vienna. I want to buy a car and get a real phone when I do make the decision to stay. We'll see though! It's a normal Sunday of cooking, cleaning and relaxing. I might make some cookies in a bit. Or not. Next weekend Claudia and I are going to Slavonice, it's supposed to be a cool, artsy town right across the Czech border. I'm really looking forward to it!