Skiing Day Two...still some tears but not too bad!

Day 2 of skiing begins with the boys headed to the bigger and harder trails and Shayna and I on the "green" runs. We started by doing a quick pass on the training run and I felt good so we headed straight for the lift to the green runs. We did one a couple runs through the easier (in my opinion) "green" run and then headed to my self "teal" run from yesterday. I felt confident enough that I could beat it this time, and I did, but I did fall off the lift when we were getting off and the attendent had to pick me up. Next we talked with the boys and decided to meet them at Peak 8 (we were on Peak 9) So in order to do that we had to take a lift to the top of Peak 8 and I was going to have to ski on some "blue" runs. I felt like I could do it, I would just take it slow. Once at the top we headed down and I did ok. We did hit some "moguls" which are little hills all over the run and I think I do better on those for whatever reason. Of course then Shayna and I took a wrong turn and got lost and had to take some other runs that we didn't want to take due to the difficulty but we finally got to the boys. We met them at a restaurant and we ate lunch. Bryan and I had packed brown bag lunches to save money and because I am still on Weight Watchers and want to control my points intake and it is hard to find healthy selections because most of the places are fast food types. Once we ate we decided to go to Peak 7. This would turn out for me, to be the biggest mistake of the day. So we start heading over and we are doing ok. This was supposed to take me to a "blue" run that isn't so bad, however we made a wrong turn and ended up on a different "blue" run called "pioneer" and it was all over. It was basically a HUGE vertical slope (in my opinion) and I was somehow supposed to get down this damn thing. So I start out and I wipe out twice and then I wipe out a third time and my ski comes off. Then I can't get it back on. Bryan tries to help but it doesn't work and I begin to get frustrated but I am not crying yet...just really mad. I tell Bryan he will be more help if he will just go and ski to the bottom of this steep hill and maybe I won't punch him in the face. So, I begin sideways sliding down the hill with one ski on the other in my hand and I would then try to find a spot to try to put the other ski on and it just wasn't happening. Now the tears begin. I am so mad and I am stuck on the side of this mountain and no one can help me and I don't know what to do. Eventually I just butt scoot down and get to where Bryan is and we still can't get the ski on.
So, the only option we have is for Bryan to call the ski patrol to come help. So they finally get there, after another person tried to stop and help us and couldn't either. However, he did make me feel good by saying "this is why thin people shoudn't ski" If you have never skiied the reason he was saying this was because you basically have to stomp on the ski with your heel once you get your toe in the toe portion of the ski and I was stomping and leaning completely on my heel, even using my hands and pushing on my thigh to try to get my foot to snap in the lock and it wouldn't go! So the ski patrol got there, Tyler was his name, and he got me all reset up and voila! I was back in my skis! We thanked him and he left. Then Bryan tried to get his skis on and he couldn't. So, we set his skis up where the ski patrol set mine up and he eventually got in his skis, too and we were back on our way. I took it slow and got back into the groove altough Iw as still upset and once at the bottom I stated I wanted to go home, I was done. So, Bryan's like well, you are going to have to ski home, you know that right. And I stated that was fine, just get me there. Well we only had an hour before the lifts closed so we were going to have to hurry. So we get in line for the lift and as I make my way down to the entry I fall over. At this point, Bryan finally realized, I really was done. So, he wanted to get me a shuttle bus to take home. I however, informed him no and we boarded the lift and headed home. I wish I could say I didn't fall anymore but we had to hit some "blue" runs and so of course I did. However, my skiing got much better and I got confidence back and towards the end we hit a really nice run on a trail called the "sawmill" and Bryan and I got to enjoy skiing together. Once home we bought Breckenridge stickers for our ski helmets and then headed home. My bruise count is at 7 and I have one scratch, and my whole body hurts. Shayna and I both took baths when we got home and Bryan and I are going to cook dinner tonight and then enjoy a low key evening at home relaxing. The boys are going to go skiing again tomorrow, whether or not Shayna and I join them, that is still up in the air. Massages and shopping may be on our agenda. Either way I ended the day happy with my effort and still wanting to ski, so I say that's a success!!!

First time skiing, EVER!

Well we headed out in the morning once Bryan got back from his run and headed t0 the slopes. Obviously, we were bundled up and I felt like the kid from "The Christmas Story" saying "I can't put my arms down" I was so wrapped up! So we made our way to The Maggie which is where we rented a locker to put our shoes and strapped on our ski boots (which are not easy to get on, by the way). We headed up and Shayna found a little spot for me to try to learn. The problem was there was like 300 people standing at the bottom and I knew I would end up running in to them as I don't know how to stop. Well eventually a worker came up and showed us where we could go to learn on a small slope so Bryan and I headed over there. He gave us this information at the perfect time as the tears were starting to flow and the curse words were beginning to fly. He also told me that it may not be a good idea to have my significant other teaching me how to ski. So we did the small hill for awhile and I began to get comfortable so we headed to a little bigger training hill and did that the rest of the morning. I finally began to get the hang of it. Then we met up with Shayna and Aaron and decided it was time for me to try a run. So, we went to a "green" run which is considered an easy run. We took the lift up and I did fine getting on and off, which I was really worried about. Once at the top we started on our way down and I did ok. Then halfway down Bryan and I took another lift and headed up to another "green" run. Actually, once we got to the top I decided to invent my own colors and call this the "teal" run. I named it this because the next harder run after the "green" is "blue" so "teal" just seemed fitting for what was to come. This run had very steep slopes and I began to feel my heart rate pickup and the panic set in. I tried to take my time, but I took A LOT of spills. Once we got past the beginning part of this run things got better and I got my groove back....until we got to the end. This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen but the last hill until you get to the end of the run is a steep (by my standards) hill. Well I ended up taken a couple falls and the last one was really bad and immediately I had a headache (don't worry I did have a helmet on) and my whole body hurt. So I informed Bryan, "I am f'ing done" By this time it was 2:00 and the lifts close at 4:30, so I felt for my first day I had skied enough. So, I marched home with tears in my eyes and all I wanted to do was talk to my dad (for some reason I thought he could make it better or tell me something that would help me ski) but he didn't answer. So, the next best thing was for me to just be by myself for a bit to soak it all in. About an hour later Shayna came back to the condo and I was much more settled down and we began making dinner plans for the night and the rest of the week. We had a great dinner at Breckenridge Brewery and even went in the hottub for a bit. It was another early night as we headed to bed at about 10pm. All in all I am ready to ski tomorrow but still a little nervous and hesitant. Shayna is going to ski with me in the morning and the boys are going to go on their own and ski the harder trails and we will meet up later. Hopefully what I learned today will sink into my body while I sleep and I will wake up ready to ski!

Yeah for Vacations!!!!

Well this Christmas was a blast. I just so much enjoy spending time with my family and friends. Christmas Eve we always spend with my dad's side of the family and this year was no different. We began the festivities around 4pm with appetizer's and catching up. Then we had a wonderful dinner of beef and turkey, salad, party potatoes...basically all the trimmings. Then the best part of the night...PRIZES (presents)!!!! We actually play a game like white elephant, only we don't bring bad gifts. Funny gifts, yes, but we always make sure it is something useable. What we do is on your turn you roll two dice and depending on what you roll you can either take a present from the middle or you can steal from a neighbor or you have to put a present back. Once all the presents are gone we all go around one by one and open them. This has been a tradition for years and I know we all look forward to it! It is a guaranteed night of laughs. After our game we had dessert and then we all headed home to get ready for Santa.
Christmas morning I woke up early with Bryan and we went for a run. He had to run 12 miles so I decided to help him out and I ran two of those 12 with him. Then I headed home to get ready for the day. Then we headed to Bryan's parents for Christmas brunch. Skip and Jan made a great meal of pancakes, sausage, eggs, muffins and of course, champagne and OJ. :) Then we exchanged gifts and spent time snuggling Skip's new puppies. He got two mini dachsaunds (yep, just like Sarge and Lucy) and they are so cute. I am a sucker for puppy breath but Bryan nor Skip would let me take them home with us. Oh, well, maybe next time. Then we headed to Bryan's Grandma's. I love, love, love her. I think part of the reason is the first time I ever went to her house, my Grandma whom I was close with's passing was still very raw in my mind, and I walked into Bryan's Grandma's house and it smelled just like my Grandma's. I had to keep tears from welling up in my eyes (Bryan and I had just started dating and I didnt' want him to think I was weird). I remember thinking to myself that our Grandma's would have loved each other's company. They are very much alike. Anyway, I love visiting with her because she always has so many stories that are full of laughs, and the way the world was when she was my age. She is such a special lady. Well for Christmas, Bryan and I got her a puzzle that is acutally a map of the st. louis area, only it is a 4x6 mile radius around her old house on Missouri Ave. The middle piece of the puzzle is actually shaped like a house and that is her old address of the house where she grew up and then it spans out across the area. She likes to work puzzles so we thought this was perfect for her. She loved it. We also got her a big tub that is filled with candy that was around in the 1920s from Bryan's favorite store in Kirkwood, the Sugar Shack. She loves candy!! I guess we all know where Bryan gets it from.
After Grandma's it was time to head over to my parents house for Christmas. We had lunch/dinner which was wonderful as always and then Olivia kept announcing that it was "time to open presents!" So we all gathered in the living room to exchange gifts. We really got a lot of great things, but the best part is always watching Alex and Olivia open their gifts. My brother and I went in and got Alex a paintball gun only we gave him all his accessories first and pretended like we thought he got a paintball gun from Santa (he knows Santa isn't real, BTW, he is 10). So we waited until all the presents were opened and we started cleaning up and then we "found" a present hidden behind the tree. That was his paintball gun. He was so excited! He immediately hooked it up and went outside with Uncle Steve and his dad to shot at some trees. Olivia "LOVES" and "OH MY GOSH" about everything she opens; even clothes! And Melis had to take Olivia's picture with every present she got.
After dessert and playing my dad's new Beatles Rockband (yes, my dad asked for and received Beatles Rockband) we headed home. My dad took Bryan and I home so he could pick up Sarge and Lucy to watch since Bryan and I are leaving tonight for Colorado with Shayna and Aaron. Once home I finished packing and waitied anxiously for Shayna and Aaron to pick us up. Once they arrived we loaded up the truck and headed on our way. Shayna and I watched Twilight and then slept for awhile. We hit a small blizzard in Kansas that was really scary (I think it was for me because Bryan was driving and I was nervous for him). We ended up having to stop in Goodland, KS because there was a whiteout near Denver and they were closing the highways. Apparantly what they do is they start closing exits and getting people off the road and once that exits hotels are full they close the next exit and just keep moving back. So, we stayed at a Super8. We got a good nap in and then headed to dinner at Crazy R's bar and then went to Wal-Mart to get a few things, a liquor store to get materials to make White Russians (that's what the boys wanted to drink that night), and headed home. We drank and played games and had so many laughs then headed off to bed.
Aaron woke us up at 6am the next morning and he was already in his truck with it running ready to go. So we threw on some clothes and headed out the door on our way to Breckenridge. The drive was only four hours and it was beautiful!
So here we are in Breckenridge. We spent the day wandering around the town waiting for our room to be ready. We went to a few sports bars so the boys could watch their football and went in some shops and got our ski's. Once checked into our room we unpacked and Bryan and I went down to the fitness center to get in a run. Bryan ran 6 and I did 2. While we were running Shayna napped and Aaron cooked dinner. We ate a great dinner of baked shrimp and chicken pasta, with garlic bread and salad and then at 8:30 we all headed off to bed. We were tired from our days journey.
So now it is Monday morning and Bryan is out doing a run and the rest of us are getting ready to go skiing. Once Bryan gets back we will head to the slopes!
I love vacations!!!!

Just Another Manic Sunday

Today I had my normal Sunday activity of cheerleading, but today we didn't have practice we had a recital. It was nice actually because instead of 3 hours of practice we only had to be there for 2 hours. I love when we have recitals because I like to watch the other classes perform, especially the little 3-5 year olds. It always chokes me up watching them because some of them are trying their hearts out, others are just standing there for the entire routine, and others are just doing their own dance. What really tugs at my heart strings are the parents who are so proud. I can't wait for that day when I can go to my little girl or boy (yes I will let my boy dance if he wants and the Y does offer a hip hop class that has boys in it!) After the recital we helped clean up and then I headed home. On the way home I got a call from Shayna and Aaraon and we figured out the fine details of our ski trip! I can't wait. We figured out when we are going to leave and meals and our plans for New Year's Eve. I am so excited about my outfit! Now I just have to figure out how much I am going to let myself drink since Bryan and I found a 5k run in Breckenridge on New Year's Day (of course we did, right!) Now, I just have to fit packing in sometime this week. Hopefully I will remember everything. Now I have to do my typical Sunday activities like laundry (blech!) and cleaning the house. At least I am home an hour early and can get a head start.

Lovin' Date Nights

Tonight Bryan and I went on a "date night" We have actually been doing this a lot lately and I really enjoy it; especially on nights like tonight when he plans everything I am just along for the ride. :) Last weekend we had a nice unrushed dinner at home (normally dinners are rushed with cooking and making lunches for the next day and then eating as fast as we can then doing dishes quickly so we can finishe whatever work we have or just try to get to bed at a decent time) and then went to see The Blind Side. We stopped at the gas station on our way to the theater to pick up some drinks and snacks and then enjoyed the time being together, just the two of us, snuggling at the theater. If you have not seen The Blind Side I highly suggest this movie. I had not heard any bad reviews only good, however one of my friends told me that there were some bad reviews about it. I am here to tell you that Bryan and I both really enjoyed the movie. I found it to be very inspirational and motivating and just overall good for your soul. So, if you haven't seen it, GO SEE IT!!!
So tonight for date night Bryan decided we were going to the Wild Nights at the Zoo christmas light display and then we were going to go somewhere to warm up with hot chocolate. It was really nice to do this together since he had his third annual "Man Day" with his friends yesterday, which is just as it sounds. About 10 of the guys get together starting at noon and then they play demolition ball, drink, go bowling and drink, drink, go to dinner and drink, and drink some more. So, we did not see each other except for the morning yesterday before he left. We talked a few times throughout the day, but none of them were sober conversations on Bryan's part after 6pm and I did not see him until 8am this morning. He climbed into bed with me and I finally got two and a half hours of decent sleep since I finally knew he was safe. Once we got up I got ready and left for a full day of shopping and we didn't see each other again until 5pm when it was time for dinner. So, my point is, after a long week of work and running this was a much needed night to reconnect with each other. So, we had dinner at home and then bundled up and went on our way to the Zoo. Our friends, the Steiner's. told us about the zoo light display and that they enjoyed it, so that is why we decided to go. It was really cool (and cold) and fun to watch the little kids all around ooh and aah, but the best part of all was going in to Penquin and Puffin cove (which is my all time favorite place). What was crazy is that normally when we go to the zoo in the summer we go in to the cove to cool off because it is kept so cold for the penquins, but tonight we actually went in there to warm up!! It was 45 degrees inside the cove and that felt warm compared to the outside!!!! I could have stood in there all night and not because it was warm, but because I love the penquins. I just think they are soo darn cute and interesting. When we did finally leave the cove we were watching the penquins that are outside the cove and it was soooo awesome.....there were two penquins and they were making all this noise and they were like snuggling (at first I thought they were making all that racket cuz they were gettin' it on, but luckily, I was wrong.) They kept putting their arms or wings or whatever they have around each other and singing their songs to each other (if you have seen the movie Happy Feet you will understand). It was so neat to watch! We finished walking through the lights and then went to Culpeppers to get some "hottie totties". :) I got one that was actual hot chocolate and liquor and it was pretty tasty. Bryan got a coffee with grand marnier mixed into it and it was so full of liquor we both couldn't take a drink of it without wincing. So we also got an apple crisp and split that. It was nice to sip our drinks and just enjoy ourselves. Now we are home and in pajamas and snuggling on the couch with the kids (Lucy and Sarge). I really enjoy these nights where I feel like we can just unwind from a hectic week and before the start of another hectic week (especially this week because of Christmas) and decompress. I also love Bryan for all his efforts to keep things fun and exciting and making plans for the two of us to spend time and remind each other why we fell in love in the first place. Although we have only been married for 9 months, we have been together almost 5 years and have lived together for 4 1/2 years so we have been in our routines and comfort levels for awhile and tend to take each other for granted. This helps us remind each other how much we mean to each other and love each other and for that I am "Lovin' Date Nights"

Haven't blogged in awhile and still not too much to report

I am sure if I sat and thought really hard I could think of a million things to update on my blog. How married life is....the same as it was before except now I get to say "my husbad", how amazingly awesome our honeymoon in St. Lucia was....wish we could be there right now since I am freezing; that the half marathon in Disneyland was something I cannot believe I did and know I could not have done without my husband by my side (see I got to say "my husband") and I am so proud and going to do another one in April. However, I have not the time to delve into such a lengthy blog.
I am going to try to keep up as much as I can, especially since Bryan is doing his own blog now. I am trying to get him to make his a little more colorful and not so straight to the point, matter-of-fact, but if you know Bryan, that's just him. I have instructed him to look back on the few posts I have done during my training and to take a few notes. :)
Back in February I took a new position as a marketer for Rehabcare Outpatient Therapy (if you ever need therapy I highly recommend our facilities and not just because I work here. Our therapists are wonderful) and I do not spend much time at a desk. Although I have my trusty iPhone, which is great for doing everything but making phone calls, typing on the on-screen keyboard really sucks. So, blogging from that is out of the question.
As most of you know I also coach Cheerleading at the South County YMCA. We just had our first competition on Sunday the 6th and we won first place in our division. These "little tiny's" as I like to call them or anything little, are amazing. These girls range in age from 6 to 13! The responsibility we ask of them and the hardwork and dedication they put into what they do just chokes me up. Another fellow coach and long time friend since high school, Tara, and I could not even look at each other before, during, or after the performance because we knew if we did we would both start crying. If you want to see their performance here is a video one of the parents took of the competiton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoTxh0gvdBs.
I am also doing Weight Watchers and am down 15lbs. I wish I could have done this before we got married, but ya know, you do what you can, right?
I am excited about Christmas and spending time with my family. I love, love, love searching for and finding that perfect gift for someone and just the joy of the season.
As you will see on Bryan's blog we will be running today out in the cold and I am not looking forward to it! I will keep you posted on how it goes if I don't turn into a popsicle while I am out running.

Bridal Shower

Today was cousin Amy's bridal shower. This was the first bridal shower I have gone to since my own. I was actually pretty excited. I love the people that I was going to be spending the afternoon with and I got to reminesce about when I had my bridal showers and the excitement and anticipation I had for each one. I was excited to sit back and watch Amy get to experience that, too. It was a great shower with good food, fun games, and lots of gifts! Thanks to Melissa being the queen of bridal shower games I got to take home a potted gerber daisy since she won twice and I have it sitting in my kitichen on the shelf above the sink. I am going to try really hard to not kill it. amy got a lot of great gifts and you could tell she really enjoyed the time with her family since she lives in Chicago. One really touching moment for me was when she was opening the gifts from her Grandma. That was the one thing that was hard for me to deal with at my wedding and showers, not having any grandparents around. I feel so happy for Amy that she will be able to share that day with her grandma. Altough I had mementos of my Grandmas with me, (a guardian angel pin on my slip and my magic hanky) it obviously was not the same as having them there to share in the moments. Even though they were not there with me my wedding day was still special and I know Amy's day will be just as special for her. She is such a sweet soul and I am so happy I get to share in the joy of her day. So Cheers to Amy and Nick!!

Locked In at the Lock-in

Tonight I had to work at the YMCA for a Lock-in. We often do these as fundraisers for our Starlites Cheerleading Program. Usually they are not too terrible but Bryan hates them because he has to deal with me the next 3-4 days after them as I try to catch up on my sleep. My biggest concern was the fact that I needed to some how fit in a 2 mile run on Sunday. I woke up this morning and got in my 2 mile run for the day so that was out of the way.
Most of the lock-ins are the same. The pre-teens usually end up fighting amongst each other, the little kids head to the "quiet room" for movies and sleep around midnight or 1. There will be few bumps and bruises along the way, some crying, but all in all, it will be over in a short 12 hours it will all be over. We had a good group of kids this time, there was just a lot of strange things that happened.
Within the first 15 - 20 minutes of being there, we had the kids outside and one little boy came run/walking off the soccer field and holding his crotch. Then he would stop then he would start run/walking again. I quickly figured out this little boy was "having an accident" I went over to him and quietly asked if he had to go to the bathroom and he said, "I just did" with tears in his eyes. I told him everything would be ok and no one would even know what happened and we quickly went inside. We got his swim trunks and he changed into those and I washed his "ugly shoes" as he told me (they were Batman crocs) and then thru his pants in the dryer as he ran off to continue playing.
Next we moved the kids inside and took them to the gymnastics room. We basically let the kids run wild to burn off energy. As I was looking around the gym Iwatched a little boy on the trampoline do a flip off the end onto a map and take a knee (his own) to his face. As soon as he got up he beelined for me. He took it like a champ though once I told him that he may just have a little strawberry on his face and if anybody asks him what happened to tell them he got in a fight and that they should see the other guy. He liked this and ran off to continue playing.
When we opened the pool the lifeguard had to jump in and save a little girl during her swim b/c she couldn't make it back to the other side after swimming out to the lane rope.
Another little girl who had clearly cut her own bangs cried that she missed her mom and wanted to go home. I quickly got her mind off that by asking her about the Jonas brothers and Hannah Montana. Then asking her if she would go play for 30 minutes, after that time I would come find her and if she still wanted to call her mom she could. One hour later she came running past me, stopped turned around and said "hey, rememer when I missed my mom and I wanted to go home?" I nodded. "I don't miss her anymore and I don't want to go home. Thanks!" And then she gave me the thumbs up sign and ran off.
The only pre-teen problem we had was a little girl that told her boyfriend that the aforementioned pee in the pants boy wouldn't "leave me the f**k alone!" I looked at her and said, "Excuse me?!" She sarcastically said "Sorry" and I said "Seriously" and walked away. I got dirty looks from her the rest of the night.
Then around 5:40 a.m. I lost my mind and walked to my car, got my running shoes, put them on and went to the fitness center, turned on a treadmill and ran my miles while I watched and read (no headphones) Ruby. I got my run in! So proud!
That took me to 6am, only one more hour to go. We woke the kids up, swept, mopped, and vacuumed, and then shipped them off to their parents. Next I hopped in my car and went home to get some much needed sleep before cousin Amy's bridal shower. I had to run in to Wal-Mart first to get wrapping paper for the gifts, which proved to be an adventure in itself as I was too tired to pull the cart out of the cart holder and why did I need a cart anyway for a roll of wrapping paper, and then continued to run into shelves in the store. I was a walking zombie. I quickly checked out, drove him, put on pjs and jumped into bed for a 3 hour nap. Gotta love those Lock-Ins.

All Star Charity 5K

Today I started my day off with the MLB All Star Charity 5K. We got up very early and made our way downtown. I was a little nervous, but more excited than anything. I really wanted to beat my time from the last 5K I ran. There were 8,000 people at the run/walk so things were a little crowded, but I have run in the Race for Cure for the past 3 years and that is a ton more people. Bryan and I got as close to the starting line as we could and stretched and waited for the horn. I brought my ipod along for the run to help me take my mind off the 3 miles journey I was about to put my body through. They sounded the horn and I began on my way....walking....because there were so many people. This allowed me time to get my music going. So, I started with a little T.I. and Justin Timberlake. According to the them "the old me was dead and gone." What a great song to start with. That's right Justin and T.I., the old me is dead and gone and I am going to run 3 miles today. Next Britney Spears came on and sang to me about a womanizer. There was a guy running in front of me so I just imgained he was the womanizer and I needed to pass him. I succeeded so thanks Britney! Also, thanks for getting me past the first 1/2 mile. Next, I paced my run to "Chicken Fried". The beat was perfect to slow me down to a calmer pace that would help me to finish the remaning 2.5 miles. The only thing was I got a little distracted because they were singing about fried chicken and cold beer. I wold love some fried chicken, from KFC, with a side of mashed potatoes and a biscuit, please. And oh yeah, a cold beer or 6 sound good, too. then a new distraction popped up. I saw a sign for tattoos. But this wasn't just any tattoo parlor. The signage on the windows said "Tattoos, $15, any kind, any time" Really! Seriously, $15 tattoos. Are they stick on? Crazy! If anyone is interested let me know and I will tell you where its at. This distraction got me past the first mile. Yeah! Next my ipod started to tell me that I "could have whatever you like" Really? Whatever I like? Well, I would really like to stop, but I can't. So, can I have a bike or a scooter, or someone else's legs that will make me go faster? Just as I was really getting angry with T-Pain and my ipod because they were not giving me whatever I wanted and I wanted to stop, the song was over and my favorite woman, Christina Aguilera came on and sang my anthem. "Some days I'm a super bi*tch up to my old tricks, but it won't last forever. Next day I'm a supergirl, out to save the world, and it keeps getting better." This picked me up and carried me into mile 3. Only 1.1 miles to go. I can do this! I am superwoman! Then my ipod told me I was a "Crazy B*itch" GREAT SONG!!! I picked up the pace, I am crazy after all and got through to the 2.5 mile point. only .6 to go, but I really wanted to stop. Maybe I am not as crazy as I thought. Then the final pick me up came on. "The Way I Are" Those of you that were at my wedding know that this was the surprise song that my wedding party did a dance to. I thought about all the hard work my wedding party put into learning the dance for Bryan and I. And oh, Bryan, he is waiting for me at the end. I am on track to beat my 5K time from the last race I was in, he is going to be so proud. I dug deep, REAL deep and strode to the finish line. I found Bryan and told him I just PR'd! 28 minutes! Yea! And once I got some water in me, I felt ok. I think I can do this. No, I know I can do this. 13 miles, here I come!!!

Wedding Gift

Today was another 2 mile run. Bryan told me that I needed to take it slow due to the fact that tomorrow is the All Star Charity 5K and he doesn't want me to burn myself out. So, I went through my morning routine, which was clocked at about 1 1/2 hours. I had a hard time getting motivated. Then I had to wait because it began to downpour and I was not about to run in the rain. Although the fact that I was moving so slow and had to wait out the rain did not make my "coach" happy. I got a little scold and told that I needed to get moving. Whatever, buddy. ;)
So, I eventually got out for my run and had a rough go. I felt good right at the beginning but then I really had to push myself to keep moving. I thought I was slowing down, but honestly I do not think it is possible to go any slower than I already do. If I did, I am pretty sure it would not qualify as running. Probably not even speed walking. So, I just kept running. That's all I can do at this point, is just keep running I do not want to get to that half marathon and not be able to run farther than 2 miles. So, I keep running and running and pushing and pushing. I finally began to feel ok at about 1 3/4 mile. Convenient, right? My run is almost over. Actually, this is a good thing, because that means that my body is settling in and accepting that it needs to run. We will be running and this will not be stopping for awhile.
Today was a day for me to just take my time I guess. When I got back from my run I needed to get ready so that Bryan and I could get headed out to Fanfest downtown. I just couldn't get moving. I finally did and we headed down to Fanfest, where we saw Deb Do and Chuck as we were driving. Shout out to them! They were going to Crown Candy; jealous!
We walked around Fanfest for awhile, ran into a few people that we knew, of course, and then headed out. I drove Bryan to the Stan Musial statue to drop him off to meet his friend Brad to run the race course for tomorrow. I, however, drove home and took a nap.
I had to prepare for our big night with our old neighbors Josh and Jenny. They wanted to take us out for dinner and dessert for part of our wedding gift. What a great night. We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Bryan and I were good and stuck to eating healthy. We both got the Mahi Mahi, Bryan by default because the waiter brought him the wrong fish. He actually ordered the salmon. We have so much fun with Josh and Jenny and we had tons of laughs and I am sure we were annoying the people next to us. I noticed the two girls sitting next to us kept looking over. If you have ever been to the Cheesecake Factory, you know that if you do not get a booth, you basically sit on the people at the table next to you and we did not have a booth.
After dinner we did something wierd; we did not stay at the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. We went somewhere else. Josh and Jenny said they had somewhere special to take us for dessert that we were sure to love. We went down to the loop to a new place called FroYo. It is all non-fat frozen yogurt and you pick your flavor (chocolate, vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, cheesecake, tart, and others) and then you pick your toppings and you put how much or how little. It is like at a buffet where you make your own ice cream dessert. Then you weight it and pay. It is 40 cents per pound and worth every cent. It was so good! We can't wait to go back.
We had a great night full of great conversation and lots of laughs. At one point I thought Josh was going to have to pull over we were all laughing so hard. We really miss having them right across the road, but true friendships last no matter what the distance, so I guess it is not all that bad. Our nights just end a little earlier because we can't come home and then go to one of the other's houses and then walk home. A 20 minute drive is a lot longer than a 20 second walk. Either way, thanks Josh and Jenny for an awesome wedding gift! We had a great time. I know my body thanks you for the sugar.

My arm is saved!

Today was another cross-training day and I did....not much of any cross-training. Unless, I want to count spotting at cheerleading cross-training, again. Today I had to work at the Y for a fundraiser for our cheerleaders, The Starlites. We were having an open gym and nacho night. So, basically anybody can come and pay $3 and we have open gym and then at the end they get nacho's. I had six of my cheerleaders there and then there were five girls from some of the gymnastics classes there. Luckily, there was another girl working the open gym with me. Well of course my girls wanted to work on the one skill that is sure to rip my arm right off my body one of these days when I spot them, the back bend kickover. If you remember, this was the skill that I tore my body up demonstrating on Wednesday. My shoulder has been bothering me a little bit ever since that night. So, we worked on back bend kickovers and I tried not to let my arm fall off. Towards the end of the night, I was getting kind of pissed off because this girl has been thisclose to getting her backbend kickover for months. And my arm creeps closer and closer to saying, "look I am out of here. first I had to push girls over repeatedly, ok, fine, now we have to run AND push girls over, I am done." Well, this little girl wanted to stop for the night and I told her she was so close can she just do three more for me. So, on the first one she does it! ALL BY HERSELF!! I didn't even have to use my arm! I think I was more excited than she was. So, we did another one, and she did it all by herself, again! Then, we did a third one and she did it all by herself, again! For the rest of the night she did them by herself as she showed everyone; me, her sister, me again, her mom, her dad, me again. She is excited and so am I and so is my arm.
So, all in all is great night. And not just because it ended with nachos.

Ticket to Party

Today was another 2 mile day. I felt really good on my run and had no knee or shin pain. My only problem was that it was pretty warm when I ran, so that is never fun. Maybe that is why I didn't feel too much pain, because my body was half melted. I did pass 4 Vianney summer help kids today who were working, but they must not have felt in a motivating mood as no words were uttered my way by them. Maybe they were scared by my evaporating body as I was running.
Later today I had to go to my woman doctor. I had been dreading this appointment, not because of the whole legs up, scooch to the edge of the table, squeeze, push , swab. No, I was dreading this for a far worse thing....getting on the scale. My appointment was in the late afternoon so I knew I definitely was not going to be the same low weight I was this morning when I weighed myself after I ran and was naked and had not consumed anything for the day. So, the nurse calls me back and tells me to step on the scale, so I set down my 10lb purse, and kick-off my sandals and step on the scale. I hesitantly look down at the numbers and lo and behold....WHOO HOO! I am 2lb lighter than I was this morning! I will take it! Point me to the room, I am ready to get naked!
When I got home I weighed myself on my scale to see if it said I weighed the same as my doctors office and it added the two pounds back on. Oh, I don't think so! I am going with the thought that my scale likes to add two pounds. As my uncle would say, "sneaky bitch!"
So, with this realization for today that I ran my 2 miles and am two pounds lighter than I thought I was I told myself I deserved to party. And how convenient that I already had plans in place to do so!
Once dressed, I headed to dinner than to meet my sis-in-law, Lauren and her boyfriend Eric and of course Bryan at Station Plaza in Kirkwood to watch a live band play and drink some beer. We were drinking the beer, the band was playing the music. Although, I would guess that during the break, the band also drank some form of alcohol. Two of our other friends, Pat and Lynne, met up with us later in the night, also. We had a great time and once the band was done we headed over to a bar/restaurant to have some appetizers and drink some more. It was ladies night, so the girls got to drink for free. We had to take advantage. And as I said earlier, I deserved it! I think I could get used to this running thing if it means I can eat and drink and not gain weight.

Cross Training

So, today was a rest day in my eyes, although my training plan said to cross train. Now, this is supposed to be some other type of muscle, endurance building activity that is not running. I guess it helps trick your body. Sort of like a, "Sorry body, about that 20 minutes of running yesterday, in the heat. I guess I got a wild hair up my butt and decided to try running. But, today, don't you worry, no running. Today we are just going to do a 25 minute video, in the nice cool air conditioning." Well, work got the best of me yesterday and there was no time for the above mentioned video. SIDENOTE: Work really did get the best of me and it wasn't just an excuse. I was marketing to some new, very interested referral sources of 10 orthopedic doctors, so the fact that I even worked right thru my lunch, was no big deal if I can get them to send their patients to my facilities. SIDENOTE OVER. By the time I got home, I only had time to cook up a quick dinner. (Shrimp over veggies and brown rice, yum!) Then quickly head off to the Y to coach my little cheerleaders. Once I got to practice, I realized, heck, I will fit in my cross training here with the girls. So, I stretched my old tired muscles with them, that counts as cross training. I stretch in my video. Next we worked on tumbling. On the squad there are four coaches, each of us with our own area of expertise. So, the fact that I am in charge of the tumbling portion should come as no surprise to you or I. What does come as a surprise to me is the days, such as today, when I decide that I am 12 again and can still do gymnastics. Some things are not too bad, like forward rolls, handstands, cartwheels, roundoffs. However, before I do any of these skills for/with the girls my mind can't help but flit back to the night I decided to do a back flip on the tumble track and then could not move my neck for the next 3 days. This was no minor injury, like oh I slept on my neck wrong I can't turn it to the right. This was, I can't lay down, I can't turn my head to the left or the right, I can't look up or down. It was terrible! Thank god for the wonderful therapists I work for and for the person that invented the ultrasound machine that saved my neck and most recently, my knees. However, I do not thank the man who invented the gel that they use for the ultrasound because that stuff does not come out of your hair easily. (Notice how I said "person" that invented the ultrasound machine, this is probably invented by a man, but could be a woman, but I said man for ultrasound gel. This was definitely a man, because a woman would not make that shit so sticky) So, I guess this memory did not stop me from thinking I could do a back bend walk my feet up a mat and then kickover. (I was trying to demonstrate to two girls how they could practice back bend kickovers at home without a spotter. You should try it if you too are trying to get your back bend kickover for YMCA Starlite tryouts or you just want to add some excitement to your life or you simply need a vacation from it all and think spending a few days in the hospital is the perfect place to go. You can use a chair, a wall, a large mat, a couch, etc.) I tried to pay no attention to the "pop, pop, pop, poppity, pop" of my back as I did the back bend or the fact that I couldn't breathe as I walked my feet up the mat and kicked over. See, then I have to act like it is no big deal and that the girls should have no problem doing this. But damn, that was really hard. I don't remember it being that hard when I was 8. Why is it so hard now? Oh yeah, you dingdong, you are 27!!! So, along with the tumbling I demonstrated for the girls and the hour and a half of spotting girls on various tumbling exercises, and the stretching, I feel as though this counts as my cross training. My body sure hurts like I did my 25 minute video, twice. I know this can't count all the time as cross training and not simply because we only have practice on Monday's and Wednesday's. I know I need to get some serious weight training action in with my plan. But for tonight, this counts. Right along with the nachos I ate at Tequila's with the coaches after practice.

DISNEYLAND

So, I have decided that it is time to conquer my fear and cross running a half marathon off of my bucket list. Knowing myself the way I do, I knew the half marathon I decided to run in was going to need to be pretty extraordinary; so the Disneyland Half Marathon it is! Bryan was excited that I actually wanted to run it and I was surprised that he agreed to the Disneyland half marathon due to the amount it was going to cost us to get there. So, we are officially signed up and our hotel and flights are booked. So, here goes nothin'.

I had already been running for a few weeks thanks to the Susan G Komen race and Bryan being in Eastern Europe. So, up until today I was doing my unofficial training. Which all things considering is probably a good thing, considering two miles was seeming impossible due to knee and shin pain. Oh, and I can't forget the two days I was convinced my calf muscle was going to pop right out of my leg. But, I got thru this pre-training period thanks to my trainer/tormentor/supporter/running partner/annoying "I'm a running coach" advice giver husband. As I posted one night on my facebook page after a particualrly terrible 5k Webster-Kirkwood YMCA Connection run, I was "Laying in bed with ice on my knees, watching a running movie with my husband. What has happened to me?!" SIDENOTE: After I posted this and re-read it to myself I pondered two things: Should I go back and let people know I was icing my knees from running earlier that day and not some other form of physical activity that would land me in bed with my husband this way, and should I let people know just how bad my pain actually extended and that before the ice packs got on my knees I was rubbing, yes rubbing, an ice cube, that cold block thing normally used to cool your beverage on my bare shin. I decided against changing my post to include the above, because A: it's nice to leave things to the imagination B: I was just too tired and C: the running movie was getting pretty interesting.
So, back to the present of today and my first "official" training run. Today was two miles (no big deal for me, I've been doing this for two weeks now) but I had to do it without Bryan since he decided to try to fit running camp, summer running club, his own training run, summer school class, and tutoring all in one day.

I have realized I am a morning runner. I like to get it out of the way so I do not have this "I still have to run two miles today" rain cloud over my head all day. I have also found I need to lay in bed and psych myself up for my run until I get almost restless and like I need, no MUST, get out of bed to run. Don't you worry, though. This feeling only lasts untl I get out of bed. Then I move in Matrix-like slow motion. I put my hair in a ponytail, wash my face, put my contacts in cuz I have to see where I am running, brush my teeth (I seem to have to do this no matter when I run. For me, minty fresh breath is a MUST when running), turn on the TV to check the weather (I can't have some surprise tornado or snowstorm ruin my big run), locate my running shorts, shirt, sports bra and smell them to make sure they are not too smelly already (hey, I try to save the environment and water, so I try to get at least two wearings of my "runnng outfit" before it goes in the wash), dig thru my sock drawer for my awesome running socks that have eucylyptus and aloe in them and apparantly when your feet sweat it reacts with the sock and cools your feet. These are a must for me, because when I run on asphalt and it is hot, my feet get hot to the point I have to keep looking down at them because I am certain they are going to burst into flames at any given moment.

After I am dressed, I stretch. This is important so I can avoid any injuries. I mean up until today I was "unofficially training" and who wants to get hurt during "unoffical training" much less during "official training". Plus, I am pretty sure with the money we plunked down on this little adventure, no injury I sustain will keep me from running these 13.1 miles. I say this not because I am that motivated, but because I am convinced that even if I lose a body part during training and have to c-r-a-w-l the entire way, Bryan will get my butt on the plane to Anaheim and will have me run this half marathon. No refunds, people.

Once I am stretched it is finally time to put on my shoes and running watch. Then I re-do my ponytail. Ok, now I am ready to go. I just want to point out that there used to be one more step and that was putting on makeup. Yes, I used to put on makeup to run. I guess I thought while out running some famous photographer would stop me as I am running through Vianney High School's campus and tell me I am beautiful and to stop this stupid running thing right now and we need to do a photo shoot for Vogue, right here. Fantasy over. Helllooo Liz! Not gonna happen because photographers for Vogue do not hang out at Vianney. Just wait until my longer runs at Grant's Trail. I am sure that is where the photographers are, so we will revisit the makeup then. Once I realized the above and that it was making me breakout and that it did not matter if I put makeup on because my face turns beet red when I run, I stopped wearing it.
So, I am finally out the door and running. I have a two mile run that is not too bad except it has a hill at the end of mile one/beginning of mile two and I have to run mile one on Big Bend and then Geyer, which has stoplights, which means peole sitting at those stoplights in their cars watching me ever so slowly, huff and puff, and run past them. When I am sitting in my car at a stoplight and I see a runner I quickly glance away so they have one less pair of eyes watching them. You should think of doing this, too. It could be your good deed for the day. The good thing about people watching me run, is it makes me run a tad faster than a snail because I do not want them looking at me. As a result of this today, I came thru my first mile at 9:06. So, for mile two, I had to remind myself to slow down as I ran my favorite one mile loop that I call "the Vianney loop". Yep, you guessed it, because I run through Vianney, luckily where, as pointed out ealier, there is no paparazzi to snap my makeup-less face. I guess because my first mile was so fast I really had to mentally push myself to get thru this second mile. When I was almost to the end a golf cart carrying a maintanence man and a Vianney summer help student, followed by a truck with another maintanence man and another Vianney summer help student passed me. Just as they passed me, the summer help student in the truck yells, "Don't stop!" Why thank you summer help kid. I needed that encouragement. Although I do not know if you were being a smart-ass or genuinely cared about my training, but either way I am gonna use it to push myself to the end. I finished mile two at 9:36 for a total time of 18:42. Go me!

Once back inside my house I stand over the A/C vent to cool off, drink some water, then jump in the shower to get ready for my day. And today seems great. This must be because of the runner's high they always talk about. I am sure it will go away soon, but I hope it doesn't.

Catching Up

Ok, So I know I have not posted in a while. A long while, but after the wedding, the honeymoon, a new job, a new nephew, etc., blogging just had to take a back seat to what I like to look at as a big long nap! So, now I am back. All is well on the homefront and to answer the age old question...Married life is exactly the same as pre-married life, except now I call Bryan my husband.
Another new thing that Bryan and I are trying is to eat healthy. As you will see in my next post I am conquering something and with Bryan's running we decided this was the best thing to do. When I say eating healthy I don't just mean our fruits and vegetables. We are trying to eat as much organic food as we can and cooking very healthy. So far it is going well and I do feel a bit different.

Valentimes Day

Yes, I know I named this post ValentiMes Day. For whatever reason, probably because I am a big dork, I like to call it that. And that is what some of my little cheerleaders call it, too. Today was a long, but great day!
It started with my normal Saturday morning routine. Wake up, jump in the shower and quickly get ready to head to the South County YMCA to coach cheerleading. I love this job! It is so rewarding and fun! All of the girls are great. I could only stay for an hour of practice because I had an appointment for my trial run for my hairdo for the wedding.

So, I left practice and headed over to my hairdresser. Her name is Denise and she is great! My best friend Shayna has been going to her for years, but I just started going to her this past year. She did my hair for Shayna's wedding and I loved the way she did it, so when I got engaged I immediately called for an appointment with her to get my hair under control. When I got there we went over how I wanted to wear my hair and I showed her my tiara and veil and then she got to work. As you can tell by the pictures it is going to be half up with lots of curls. I absolutely love it! It is kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but everyone wanted to see it, so I attached them anyway.

After I got my hair done I had her leave it the way it was, minus the tiara and veil of course, so I would have pretty done up hair for Bryan and I's Valentine's date later that night. On my way home I had to stop at PetCo to pick up some dog food and I also needed to get Sarge a new "Tuffy Dog". This is a line of toys that are stronger than your average dog toy, which is perfect for my little 8 pound weiner dog. He lives to tear his toys apart. He still manages to do that with these toys, but it takes him a while longer. He also forms a serious bond with them and will carry them all over the house. It killed me to have to throw away his old tuffy dog when I got home because of how much he loved it, but it was disgusting and needed to go. Since Sarge got a new toy I had to get a new one for Lucy as well. She loves bones, so I got her a pink nylabone and she loves it.

When I got home Bryan was cleaning the house, his usual weekend thing, so I helped out a little and then settled on the couch to read my new book that my employee/friend Lindsey gave me. It is a new vampire series and I am on the first book. It is called "Marked" and I am entralled. I can't put it down. After a little reading I took the dogs for a mile walk. Since it was chilly I put Sarge's windbreaker on him. He is so tiny, he gets so cold! Well, our walk ended up being a 1/2 mile walk, 1/2 mile run because Lucy loves to be outside and loves to run! Our condo backs up to Vianney so we have a little loop that we also do and that the dogs know really well. It is nice because it is like I don't even have to really walk them, because they know exactly where to go.

When we got home I freshened up and got ready to go out to dinner for Valentine's day.

Bryan had made reservations at Macaroni Grill and we had a great dinner. I hesitate to say it, but we discussed names for our unborn children. WOAH!!!! Then we went home and got into our PJ's and cuddled on the couch with the dogs and watched the movie Twilight. I love that movie and the book series and to my surprise Bryan like the movie, too. All in all we had a great night.

So much stuff.....

Alrighty people, sorry it has been awhile. There has just been so much stuff to do. In the last 2 weeks since I have written I have had an unexpected funeral to go to, an awesome superbowl party at our house, followed by a week of being very, very sick!
I can't even begin to go into the funeral except to say that I will never understand suicide.
I will however talk about our Superbowl party. It is Bryan and I's annual Superbowl party that we host. The very first one was at my old condo and it consisted of myself, Bryan, Matt, Andrew and I think Amanda was there, too. This was our fourth annual Superbowl party, third annual at the new condo and by far the smoothest one we have had yet. We actually began cleaning and preparing earlier in the week and Saturday night I was smart and pre-made what I could. I was so proud of myself because for once when people began arriving I wasn't frantically finishing in the kitchen and then rushing upstairs to get ready. I was actually calmly putting finishing touches on things in the kitchen and was already dressed and ready to party. I even got to watch a good portion of the game. It is so fun to see how much our parties have changed over the past four years. The first year it was beer and loud and just us friends. This year it was beer and loud and sippy cups and kids and pregnant friends! But it was so much fun! It is nice to know that as all of my friends and I grow and our families grow that we can still get together and have a good time and our kids will grow up together.
The very next day after the Superbowl party I woke up with a migraine and not feeling well. I dragged myself to work and only made it until 11am. I went home and continued to feel worse and worse and running a fever. The next day my fever was higher, 102, and I could barely get out of bed. Later that night I called my cousin Justin, who is in med school, and told him my symptoms and asked for advice. Once he gave me the never ending list of meds to take I sent Bryan to Walgreens. The meds somewhat helped, but I felt like what I really needed was to sleep, but I couldn't because I was so stuffed up. If I layed down my nose clogged up and I couldn't breathe. However, if I sat up my nose began to run like a faucet. It was a no win situation. Finally on Thursday I went to my doctor. I still had my fever, so they did a flu test which came back negative. The doctor decided I had a bronchial virus and gave me a breathing treatment while I was in the office. She then put me on a nasal spray, inhaler and a 5 day antibiotic just in case. Friday I immediately began to feel better and even made it in to work for a half a day. I also was able to attend the shower that night that my employees had put together for me. The shower was wonderful and I got a lot of great gifts.
Now fast forward to this week. On Tuesday I had my final dress fitting. My sister went with me so she could learn how to do my bustle and also pick up her dress and get any alterations done that she needed. This time, I LOVED my dress again. It looks great and I am so very excited about my dress, again. As Amanda says, I must have just been having an off day that day I tried my dress on and had my meltdown. My sister also looked great in her dress. I love the color I picked for the bridesmaid dresses. It looks so good on all the girls. I am so excited to see all of them in their dresses on the wedding day.
On Wednesday, I had a mandatory meeting with my staff to inform them that the company we work for has been bought out by another company. This was NOT a fun meeting because the girls quickly put together that about half of them would end up without a job because the new company only had 7 openings available. For those of you who are reading this and worrying about me, don't. I have a job. The new company offered me a position with them as well. I will be what they call a CRC which basically means I will be doing marketing for our three physical therapy sites. I am excited about the position even though my degrees are in management and finance. I think this will be an exciting new journey and an opportunity for me to learn a lot of new skills.
Yesterday was my mom and dad's 37th anniversary! I am so lucky to have such great role models when it comes to marriage and commitment. My parents are still so in love with each other and I have had the opportunity to watch them grow together throughout the years. I have learned that marriage is all about compromise and being involved with each other but also staying true to yourself and following your own interests. We went to dinner at O'Charley's and had a wonderful time. It is always nice to get together with the family.
Today is my sister-in-law Christine's birthday. I can't wait for her to get her gift. I ordered it online and had it sent to her house. I hope she likes it. Later tonight I have another work shower with people from my old job. I still get to see them a lot since I work for another entity and deal with the physicians at the office. It also doesn't hurt that my mom is their boss and my best friend and Matron of honor, Shayna, works there, too! Many of the people that will be there tonight have watched me grow from a child to a woman. I used to go there when I was a gymnast and would hurt myself. Then I worked there for 8 years before moving into this positon. So, they have been with me through a lot of major milestones in my life and many have been a great support system.
Now, that we are caught up I am going to try and stay caught up on my blog. Hopefully I will be able to keep it interesting.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!!

And they're off!!!!

Well, the invitations have been mailed. And I just have to say it is a relief to no longer have a GIANT box of invitations sitting in my house. I also have to say how wonderful my post office is in Kirkwood. The same two people, a man and a woman, work there faithfully everyday and they are awesome! I should, however find out what their names are. That is one of my flaws, I am so bad at remembering names. I still call my cheerleaders by the wrong name sometimes. Anyway, the first time I had to go there was to get my passport. Not only do they process your passport there, but they take your picture on the spot and you know it will be the right size. Something I learned is very important from my friend Shayna who had to get her picture redone like three times because where she got it done kept doing it wrong! So, the gentleman processed my passport, took my picture (which is NOT good, but hey, who's is) and lo and behold it arrived at my house in 3 weeks! Yeah! I can go to St. Lucia for the honeymoon!!! The next time I had to go to the post office was to get the stamps for the invitations. This time I had the woman. She weighed and measured and gave me my stamp choices and asked me about the wedding and honeymoon. We have determined she is going on the honeymoon with Bryan and I. We are going to pick her up the morning we leave. ;) She was just so pleasant and helpful and when I left I was light in my steps and smiling. So, today I went to drop off the invitations. I hauled the GIANT box into the post office and there were my two postal workers! They both smiled at me and the woman said, "I remember you!" I told her she better remember me, she's going with me on my honeymoon! So, I loaded all the invitations onto her counter and she told me she would handle them with utmost care and made sure I had enough extra stamps at home, just in case. Again, just very helpful! And again, I left light in my steps in a great mood. Maybe I always feel so good when I leave there, b/c I can cross another thing of my LLLOOOONNNGGG list of wedding to do's, either way, I just enjoy going to our post office.
Dinner at Bartolino's last night with Father Marco was wonderful! I just really enjoy him. He has so many great stories and he is funny as well. The food was wonderful as well and I was very proud of myself for not overeating. We went over everything for the ceremony and Father Marco is very adament that everything that we are doing is what Bryan and I want to do and not anyone else. We also gave him our FOCUS tests that Bryan and I took. He is going to turn them in to the Deacon and let us know what the results are. I am sure we will pass with flying colors. If there is one thing I have learned during this past year planning for this wedding, it is that Bryan is the one for me. We just get each other and he never lets me down. I fall in love with him more and more everyday, just because of the little things he does or says. I love that on Tuesday when I came home from a crappy day and had gone out and bought a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle and he came home to find me sprawled out at the coffee table with puzzle pieces all over our freshly cleaned house from over the weekend, that he did the majority of the cleaning to, he didn't care. He just laughed and said you never know what "Little Bug" (that's what he calls me..it's a long story that maybe I will get into later) is going to do next. And for the past two days he has let me sit at the coffee table and do my puzzle. He never asks how long is this mess going to be around or can you move that to your desk downstairs. He just comments on the how I have the patience to sit and do a puzzle. I don't know how I can do it either, but it is just therapeutic for me. And I grew up with my mom always doing puzzles, so I have just been around it.
Well, I guess that is all for now! Time to get ready for a busy weekend as always!

Where do I begin?

Well, here I go. I am going to attempt to blog after being inspired by my sister and my friend Amanda. I especially realized how great blogging can be when I began reading Amanda's after she recently moved to Chicago. I miss her tons and being able to read her blog and have her sense of humor right there as if she is in the room with me, made me realize just how great of a connector tool blogging can be.
So enough of that. So, I can easily say that today is much better than yesterday. Tuesday I went to Simply Elegant, the place where I got my wedding dress, to have my bustle put on. Now, mind you this was not the first time I had put "MY" dress on (meaning the one that is for me only). The first time my dress came in, I went to try it on and was still just as much in love with it as I was the day I found it. We took pictures and I did not want to take the dress off. Then we get home and my mom uploaded the pictures into her computer and e-mailed them to me. My first thought when looking at the pictures was..."Why did no one tell me that my arms were that fat and that my back was that fat!" "I look like my head and upper body are being squeezed out of the top of the dress like a tube of toothpaste!!!" Well, I vowed to myself that I was going to lose weight and this was not going to be a problem. Fast forward to Tuesday, 5 lbs heavier than I was on the original dress try on day, and looking just as ugly. Well, I put my dress on and my mom informs me I have back boobs!!! Great! Just what I want. Not only am I already in hate over my large boobs in the front, but apparantly they have decided to start migrating to my back! I bet Bryan would like that; 4 boobs for the price of two! What man wouldn't! So, she smooths out my back boobs and I walk to the pedestal in the middle of the floor to gaze at myself in the mirror. I start at the bottom, dress looks great, beading looks great, mid-section looks great...STOP! There it is....my giant chest, my chicken fat hanging over by my armpits, and my, what I like to call, Oprah arms. You know, when Oprah lost all that weight and she was thin, but she still had all that skin under her arms. That is what I feel I have. And not to mention that I have a little bit of cellulite on my arms. How does that happen? I thought that only occurred on butts and thighs?! What is happening to me! I am only 26! I am not aging well! So, of course, I break down b/c I am convinced I am going to be an ugly bride on my wedding day and nothing anyone could say could console me. Fast forward to yesterday and my depressed feelings continued. I took some time last night to go inside myself and recenter and focus. I am still insecure about my arms and the top half of my body in my dress, but I am going to take these 7 1/2 weeks and really work on changing that.
Now, let's move on to today. So far work has been great for the day. I have actually gotten my e-mail under control, so that feels good! Tonight, Bryan and I are going to dinner at Bartolino's on Hampton with the priest who is marrying us. I have only met him once, but he is a very nice guy. To those who are attending my wedding I will give you a heads up that he is a talker! Bryan insists that we can keep that under control. His name is Father Marchlewski, but everyone calls him Father Marco. He is very much Italian and very funny. I am looking to forward to dinner tonight. I want to go over our reading choices for the ceremony and get his feedback since the next big project on my list is to do our wedding programs.
Well, that's all I have for now. Hopefully this will serve as the outlet I need to de-stress every now and then.