i left that fabulous gown with the seamstress yesterday. i tried it on for the first time since friday after thanksgiving and have to say i am a bit relieved. i'm not sure it would've fit so well at some points between then and now, but it does and i'm happy.
i am so excited. i am getting married next month. i'm getting to live happily ever after with the most fabulous man i could ever hope for or imagine, and there are no better, more wonderful gals i'd want standing up there with me. they've been cheering me on since, oh--well, since before i ever knew what "good guy" was and i cannot be more ecstatic.
went on a walk with my MoH this evening and we did the whole bridge (go KJ!). 5.2 miles in 1 hour and 25 minutes. WOOT. i ran the last mile in 7 minutes. i've been trying some speed lately, and it's been a bit of a success. rob and i scoped out a YMCA in idaho falls and i ran a 5K on the tread mill in 26:06. y'all-i have not done that since college. i'm wondering if there's something wrong with the speedometer or the timer...
i'm rambling. i'm exhausted and i'm excited and i'm getting giddy. i just put in my food/drink for today and have 338 calories left! well, wait, i just remembered the damn coke i had for lunch. *ack* ok, 98 calories left. y'all need to check out lance armstrong's livestrong website. i literally think about EVERY single thing i put in my pie hole and want to avoid lance's imaginary furrowed brow and disappointed face... today when i got turkey instead of chicken salad at subway, i decided to go for the combo and got a coke. in my head i told lance he could take his frown and get over it. i shoved him to the back of my mind and now i wish i hadn't. it's like a drug: i want it so so badly then when i have it, it just makes me disappointed and i wish i hadn't. and now my calorie/fitness counter would say 338 not 98. *hmph* my own fault...
and i've GOT to get rid of the arm flab. any suggestions?!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
the first volley of the civil war
150 years ago this morning the war between the states began. the reenactment of the confederacy wreaking havoc on the union-occupied Fort Sumter began promptly at 6:45 AM. it is still going strong. at 9:40 PM.
this post is perhaps a bit off topic. however, this day certainly has been giving my brain a workout, putting into perspective the events of a day that began a conflict that began a way of life that began the United States as we know it (read: including all 13 originals). wow. i can read about and hear about and discuss that war and its myriad battles. i've learned about the ups and downs the highs and the lows, the bad guys and the good. general lee and stonewall jackson and Manassas and Gettysburg. i've heard differing opinions, varying levels of anger and blame. i learned about the war in classrooms in Virginia. some say i didn't hear it from the right angle. who knows?
all i know after today is that no matter what any of us has read, heard or learned, there's not much like constant canon fire for an entire day to tell you how it really is. how it must have been for the Charlestonians of 1861 that day their South got the big idea to send the North running back to their Union, leaving the heavily damaged and retaken Fort Sumter in their wake.
what now? had to have crossed their minds and definitely shaped their next four years. as the day has worn on and the booms have resounded again and again, i feel quite put-in-my-place by what must have been. i got ready for work, drove over the bridges with their respective views of Fort Sumter and Fort Johnston, came home again, talked on my mobile phone as i pulled weeds and prepped pots for this year's petunias, sat on the deck, made dinner, watched jeopardy, and type now to the sounds of the war that changed our nation.
tomorrow i will go to work--to my southern classroom with white, black, latina and jamaican students where we will learn that there was once a war between a divided country. we will learn that we were all created by God and we are experiencing our right to learn together, play together and love together. We will learn that it's imperative to keep those rights alive and well for others who don't have what we do, and that we pray for those people.
i love this country and what we have. i love democracy and union and independence. i love history, what we and i have learned from it. i love teaching about it all and trying to put it all into words.
thanks for reading and listening and humoring me. good night (now that it's quiet).
this post is perhaps a bit off topic. however, this day certainly has been giving my brain a workout, putting into perspective the events of a day that began a conflict that began a way of life that began the United States as we know it (read: including all 13 originals). wow. i can read about and hear about and discuss that war and its myriad battles. i've learned about the ups and downs the highs and the lows, the bad guys and the good. general lee and stonewall jackson and Manassas and Gettysburg. i've heard differing opinions, varying levels of anger and blame. i learned about the war in classrooms in Virginia. some say i didn't hear it from the right angle. who knows?
all i know after today is that no matter what any of us has read, heard or learned, there's not much like constant canon fire for an entire day to tell you how it really is. how it must have been for the Charlestonians of 1861 that day their South got the big idea to send the North running back to their Union, leaving the heavily damaged and retaken Fort Sumter in their wake.
what now? had to have crossed their minds and definitely shaped their next four years. as the day has worn on and the booms have resounded again and again, i feel quite put-in-my-place by what must have been. i got ready for work, drove over the bridges with their respective views of Fort Sumter and Fort Johnston, came home again, talked on my mobile phone as i pulled weeds and prepped pots for this year's petunias, sat on the deck, made dinner, watched jeopardy, and type now to the sounds of the war that changed our nation.
tomorrow i will go to work--to my southern classroom with white, black, latina and jamaican students where we will learn that there was once a war between a divided country. we will learn that we were all created by God and we are experiencing our right to learn together, play together and love together. We will learn that it's imperative to keep those rights alive and well for others who don't have what we do, and that we pray for those people.
i love this country and what we have. i love democracy and union and independence. i love history, what we and i have learned from it. i love teaching about it all and trying to put it all into words.
thanks for reading and listening and humoring me. good night (now that it's quiet).
Sunday, April 3, 2011
"get over it!"
that's just what we did. over The Bridge, that is, for the 34th annual Cooper River Bridge Run 10K.
it's such a good race and the weather was absolutely perfect yesterday morning. three of the six miles are over the bridge-the 2nd through 4th. part of the first and the entire the second mile are uphill. way, way uphill. it's the quietest mile ever, all breathing and foot pounding. this year there were bands, though, so it seemed to go a little faster and it was a bit more fun. something about live music that can get your feet wanting to move faster and your step get a little peppier. works every time.
we ran it bandit, something i always said i'd never do. i have strong feelings about this, but when all that was left were $150 charity bibs, we decided to break the rules. i have no problem handing over cash to a charity, but i've not exactly got 150 bones lying around... so we'll give the original entrance fee to the charity in question and call it a day. we knew this might be our last Bridge Run (well, as residents anyway. maybe we'll make a yearly trek from chilly idaho. who knows?) so we bit the bullet.
this is the start line. LOOK at all those people. all 40,000 of them (+ 2: rob and katie).
and, of course, this would be the year the powers that be decided to finally--after 33 races--check for bibs. thankfully it was chilly and jackets were in order. this made our blatant lack of a number a bit less obvious. i almost chickened out, but rob said, "let's do it. go!" and we snuck in literally behind their backs. i'm living on the edge over here!
so, i have no idea what my time was. i didn't wear a watch, for reasons i still don't understand, and i made rob go ahead of me. he finished in 54 minutes (not too bad for a fella who hasn't run since september) and i crossed the finish line at 1:12:30-the gun time-but have no idea how long i was in the starting corral before my wave crossed the start line... so i'm going to go with an hour. that sounds good... not as good as i'd like it to sound, but lance armstrong says i burned 1, 248 calories so i'll take it. awesome. good thing i consumed that at The Wreck for dinner yesterday evening. back to The Bridge tomorrow, then.
p.s. i wore my black capris on friday because THEY FIT! for the first time in about a month. yee ha!
it's such a good race and the weather was absolutely perfect yesterday morning. three of the six miles are over the bridge-the 2nd through 4th. part of the first and the entire the second mile are uphill. way, way uphill. it's the quietest mile ever, all breathing and foot pounding. this year there were bands, though, so it seemed to go a little faster and it was a bit more fun. something about live music that can get your feet wanting to move faster and your step get a little peppier. works every time.
we ran it bandit, something i always said i'd never do. i have strong feelings about this, but when all that was left were $150 charity bibs, we decided to break the rules. i have no problem handing over cash to a charity, but i've not exactly got 150 bones lying around... so we'll give the original entrance fee to the charity in question and call it a day. we knew this might be our last Bridge Run (well, as residents anyway. maybe we'll make a yearly trek from chilly idaho. who knows?) so we bit the bullet.
this is the start line. LOOK at all those people. all 40,000 of them (+ 2: rob and katie).
and, of course, this would be the year the powers that be decided to finally--after 33 races--check for bibs. thankfully it was chilly and jackets were in order. this made our blatant lack of a number a bit less obvious. i almost chickened out, but rob said, "let's do it. go!" and we snuck in literally behind their backs. i'm living on the edge over here!
so, i have no idea what my time was. i didn't wear a watch, for reasons i still don't understand, and i made rob go ahead of me. he finished in 54 minutes (not too bad for a fella who hasn't run since september) and i crossed the finish line at 1:12:30-the gun time-but have no idea how long i was in the starting corral before my wave crossed the start line... so i'm going to go with an hour. that sounds good... not as good as i'd like it to sound, but lance armstrong says i burned 1, 248 calories so i'll take it. awesome. good thing i consumed that at The Wreck for dinner yesterday evening. back to The Bridge tomorrow, then.
p.s. i wore my black capris on friday because THEY FIT! for the first time in about a month. yee ha!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
...and running and running
yay! i went again today. treadmill style, because the pollen is OUT of control. i was inside and i'm still sneezey mcGee. oh well.
3.3 miles in 30 minutes. the first 10 minutes i did this wacky program on the treadmill called "9 holes" that i thought sounded interesting. maybe nine different levels or hills or speeds or something.
turns out it went from flat to incline then a little bit more inclined. and a bit more inclined... and then, yes, some more. from 1 to 5 over about a minute and a half-wow! and i tried, tried, tried to keep going at the same speed the whole time. wowzuhs! it was the fastest ten minutes ever, because i was trying to figure out what was coming next and kept-for once-challenging myself and suceeding. woot!
anyway, then the machine stopped and i was disappointed. didn't want to stop! yee ha! so i went for 20 more minutes and a bit over 2 more miles.
are my extra ell bee's disappearing yet?! i don't think so, but i need to keep remembering you can't make it to the top in one day (it takes four and a half). *sigh*
3.3 miles in 30 minutes. the first 10 minutes i did this wacky program on the treadmill called "9 holes" that i thought sounded interesting. maybe nine different levels or hills or speeds or something.
turns out it went from flat to incline then a little bit more inclined. and a bit more inclined... and then, yes, some more. from 1 to 5 over about a minute and a half-wow! and i tried, tried, tried to keep going at the same speed the whole time. wowzuhs! it was the fastest ten minutes ever, because i was trying to figure out what was coming next and kept-for once-challenging myself and suceeding. woot!
anyway, then the machine stopped and i was disappointed. didn't want to stop! yee ha! so i went for 20 more minutes and a bit over 2 more miles.
are my extra ell bee's disappearing yet?! i don't think so, but i need to keep remembering you can't make it to the top in one day (it takes four and a half). *sigh*
Sunday, March 27, 2011
"do you have a license for those guns?"
... is what i'm expecting them to say when i show up with my strong (but feminine) arms in a few weeks. all muscle, sans bat wings. i'd like to thank martha stewart weddings magazine for that phrase. "bat wings." that's a hoot. it'd be funnier if i didn't have them. goodness, since i stopped waiting tables--and consequently stopped lugging around trays with upwards of 10 full water glasses or 12 loaded dinner plates--the flab has set in. with a vengeance. in the teaching world we call it "chalkboard arm" and it makes me hate writing on the board. oh well. all i can do is what that article tells me and bid them adieu. fly, fly away miserable bat wings. momma's got a summer dress to get into and doesn't need y'all flapping about. see ya!
and then there's the business of the belly. bid that thing adieu, too. does anyone read real simple? it's such a fantastic, realistic publication. each month they put in two "15 minutes and you're done" things that you can do in 15 minutes. one is a cleaning routine (your car, your front porch, your refrigerator, etc.) and the other is a 15-minute workout. i mentioned the inner thigh workout (hello bikini on an island honeymoon!) a bit ago--yeah, i haven't quite gotten there yet--and have found another: the ab/core workout. it's AWESOME. i did it last saturday, the same day i bought the magazine and it was good. i will do it again tomorrow morning. and three more times this week. will someone please ask me on friday how many times i got to the RS ab workout this week? do not settle for any less than three. please.
also this week: TWO runs! woo hoooo! i went 3.7 miles in 31 minutes. the last two miles took 16 minutes! i was so excited. see, my friend amanda ran her first marathon ever last sunday. she ran it in 4 hours and 37 minutes. 26 minutes faster than mine. she inspired me to get back on the speed train, not just the distance train. i'm losing my touch, people! if i can run faster, i'll run farther. (further? farther? not one i'm ever sure about...) and today i went to the gym and visited my friendly treadmill, thanks to severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. i punched in 45 minutes and went 4.7 miles. i did four in 36:03. then walked most of the rest. i'm at 9 minutes/mile. once upon a time i ran an 8 minute mile. i just want to get there again. this getting older, and therefore slower,business is for the birds.
anyway, all this to say, "will someone ask me how many miles i ran this week?" then ask me if my H+M skirt fits yet. please.
and then there's the business of the belly. bid that thing adieu, too. does anyone read real simple? it's such a fantastic, realistic publication. each month they put in two "15 minutes and you're done" things that you can do in 15 minutes. one is a cleaning routine (your car, your front porch, your refrigerator, etc.) and the other is a 15-minute workout. i mentioned the inner thigh workout (hello bikini on an island honeymoon!) a bit ago--yeah, i haven't quite gotten there yet--and have found another: the ab/core workout. it's AWESOME. i did it last saturday, the same day i bought the magazine and it was good. i will do it again tomorrow morning. and three more times this week. will someone please ask me on friday how many times i got to the RS ab workout this week? do not settle for any less than three. please.
also this week: TWO runs! woo hoooo! i went 3.7 miles in 31 minutes. the last two miles took 16 minutes! i was so excited. see, my friend amanda ran her first marathon ever last sunday. she ran it in 4 hours and 37 minutes. 26 minutes faster than mine. she inspired me to get back on the speed train, not just the distance train. i'm losing my touch, people! if i can run faster, i'll run farther. (further? farther? not one i'm ever sure about...) and today i went to the gym and visited my friendly treadmill, thanks to severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. i punched in 45 minutes and went 4.7 miles. i did four in 36:03. then walked most of the rest. i'm at 9 minutes/mile. once upon a time i ran an 8 minute mile. i just want to get there again. this getting older, and therefore slower,business is for the birds.
anyway, all this to say, "will someone ask me how many miles i ran this week?" then ask me if my H+M skirt fits yet. please.
Monday, March 21, 2011
st. patty's week (and the first week of Lent...)
hey gals!
among other things for Lent, one of my doings is "exercising four times a week."
it's selfish in a way, but also, i'm trying to take care of what i was given. i've not been so good at that lately. i've quite forgotten about it, actually...
on wednesday i went on a 40 minute run. it turned out to be an extension of my intended run. i was house sitting in a very run-friendly neighborhood and was going to do a quick map-my-run two to three miler around the block. i started feeling ambitious, though, and thought i'd go outside the 'hood and down the "trail." i'd go "allllll the way to bowman road." i thought it'd be about 40 minutes, so it'd be at least 4 miles. turns out i don't run a 10 minute mile.
turns out allllll the way to bowman was only all the way. only 3.6 of what i thought to be 4 miles. *hmph*
anyway, it was longer than i intended and that counts for something, right?
and on thursday i ran the Catch the Leprechaun 5K. SO fun! great course, great company and free corned beef sandwiches and beer afterward (also hotdogs, which i had instead of corned beef because i realized there were sandwiches too late). so fun! i ran a 30 minute 5K (there's my 10 minute mile) and realized i need to PICK IT UP A BIT but still had fun. i'm finally registering for the cooper river bridge 10K tomorrow. i love this race, and it will be my fourth annual--such a good time. it's the quietest race i've ever run.
it's a big rally and ruckus, all the way to about the 2-mile mark. that's when the 1-mile uphill begins. then it's silence, save for the in-and-out lung-filling breaths you hear all the way to the top of the bridge, half way between the diamonds, towards the downhill to flatness. the flat, level playing field of Meeting to King to Wentworth to bagels & powerade & oranges at Marion Square. i also love that this race ends at the bicycle shop. kind of a fun twist...
among other things for Lent, one of my doings is "exercising four times a week."
it's selfish in a way, but also, i'm trying to take care of what i was given. i've not been so good at that lately. i've quite forgotten about it, actually...
on wednesday i went on a 40 minute run. it turned out to be an extension of my intended run. i was house sitting in a very run-friendly neighborhood and was going to do a quick map-my-run two to three miler around the block. i started feeling ambitious, though, and thought i'd go outside the 'hood and down the "trail." i'd go "allllll the way to bowman road." i thought it'd be about 40 minutes, so it'd be at least 4 miles. turns out i don't run a 10 minute mile.
turns out allllll the way to bowman was only all the way. only 3.6 of what i thought to be 4 miles. *hmph*
anyway, it was longer than i intended and that counts for something, right?
and on thursday i ran the Catch the Leprechaun 5K. SO fun! great course, great company and free corned beef sandwiches and beer afterward (also hotdogs, which i had instead of corned beef because i realized there were sandwiches too late). so fun! i ran a 30 minute 5K (there's my 10 minute mile) and realized i need to PICK IT UP A BIT but still had fun. i'm finally registering for the cooper river bridge 10K tomorrow. i love this race, and it will be my fourth annual--such a good time. it's the quietest race i've ever run.
it's a big rally and ruckus, all the way to about the 2-mile mark. that's when the 1-mile uphill begins. then it's silence, save for the in-and-out lung-filling breaths you hear all the way to the top of the bridge, half way between the diamonds, towards the downhill to flatness. the flat, level playing field of Meeting to King to Wentworth to bagels & powerade & oranges at Marion Square. i also love that this race ends at the bicycle shop. kind of a fun twist...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
oh, tony. p90x master and arse kicker.
i haven't been able to sit since tuesday night. my thighs have lost the strength to hold my weight as i lower myself into a chair. you should see me getting in the car! it's best when i'm wearing a skirt. ha!
rob and i did the plyometrics workout the other night and i pretty much discovered muscles i had no idea were there. i know they're there now though. a lot. and i hate them.
but i will conquer them. the pain is muscle building, right?! (say yes, you're right.) ;)
next up: 15-minute thigh workout from real simple magazine. we'll see how that goes.
all i know is reaching the top of a 19,000 foot mountain didn't hurt this bad for a single day. yikes, how out of shape am i?!
i haven't been able to sit since tuesday night. my thighs have lost the strength to hold my weight as i lower myself into a chair. you should see me getting in the car! it's best when i'm wearing a skirt. ha!
rob and i did the plyometrics workout the other night and i pretty much discovered muscles i had no idea were there. i know they're there now though. a lot. and i hate them.
but i will conquer them. the pain is muscle building, right?! (say yes, you're right.) ;)
next up: 15-minute thigh workout from real simple magazine. we'll see how that goes.
all i know is reaching the top of a 19,000 foot mountain didn't hurt this bad for a single day. yikes, how out of shape am i?!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)