After my 15.5 mile run Saturday morning, I drove down south to go wedding dress shopping with Taylor. Taylor's friend, Cybelle, rode down and back with me. Cybelle and I found out that we have a mutual love of the TV show LOST as well as rock music! Taylor's mom and grandma were already at the hotel when we arrived. Before going to the dress appointment, we went to the mall to eat and kill some time. The dress appointment was at Patricia South's Bridal, which happens to be the same place Taylor's mom bought her wedding dress over 30 years ago. I have never seen so many wedding dresses in my life.
We were served mimosas, cookies and cheese and crackers while they picked out dresses to try on. The first dress Taylor tried on had a sweetheart thingamajig with a corset doohickey and a lace pattern all over it. It was pretty, but it didn't have the "wow" factor. The second dress was little more form fitting and had a halter-toppish kind of style and an open back. It had some lace shenanigans going on, but the leg part on the front was plain. Again, it didn't have the "head turning" factor. The third dress I consider to be a princess type of dress. Perhaps ball gown is a better description. It had tulle from the waist downward that flowed outward. The top part was sleeveless and had shiny sparkles and lace. It was pretty, but it didn't really flatter her figure. The fourth dress was my favorite up this point. It was also sleeveless with tattooed lace on the back. It was form fitting and had lace; however the train of the dress was rather boring.
As soon as Taylor came into sight in the fifth dress, an Enzoani dress, I could tell it was THE DRESS! Not just because of the tears in Taylor's eyes, but also because of the radiance she emitted and the undeniable beautiful way the dress complimented Taylor's elegant essence. I won't describe the dress as I did the others because I don't want to give it away before her big day. Believe me when I tell you though that her dress will turn heads and it will make you say "wow". She would be a gorgeous bride without the dress, but the dress compliments her style and charm. Taylor said, "Yes, to the dress!"
Taylor gave me an amazing box and when I opened it the top of the lid read "will you be my maid of honor". I may not yet fully understand the meaning of being a maid of honor, but I can tell you that I was truly honored to say, "Yes!". I'm super excited to go on this journey with Taylor as she becomes a Mrs. I also can't wait to be standing by her side when she says, "I do".
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
My Best Friend is ENGAGED!!!
One of the things I love about Taylor is that she loves fearlessly. She deserves the world and everything that's good and amazing in it. I know she has been dreaming of this time in her life since she was a little girl and words can't describe how delighted I am for her to be realizing her dream. I can't wait to watch them grow old together! Congrats, Taylor! I love you!!!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Healthy and Loving It!
It has been great to feel as healthy as most of the people around me. I'm not struggling to keep up. I'm not faking the smile on my face and I'm not pretending to feel well. When I'm not feeling well, I dread making plans because it's difficult to predict how I'll be feeling at a certain moment in time. Will I be in pain? Will I need a bathroom? Will I have the energy it takes? I didn't even ask myself those questions when I made plans like a boss this weekend.
After work on Friday I went to the Maroon 5 concert. Tove Lo opened the show and she was incredible. Seriously, check out her music. I thought her take on love was interesting. In one song she proclaims "I'm not on drugs / I'm not on drugs / I'm just in love" and in another song she explains "You're gone and I gotta stay / High all the time / To keep you off my mind". So, basically love is a drug and I've never taken a hit. I'm as clean and as sober as can be. I love Maroon 5, but honestly I only know Maroon 5 as Adam Levine. I love when he hits the high notes! They put on an amazing show and it was fun hanging out with Kim! Kim and I left a little early from the show because I had a long Saturday ahead of me. We left around 10:45PM and by the time I got home and laid out my running stuff for the morning, it was around 11:30PM by the time I went to bed.
Surprisingly, I woke up without hesitation when my alarm went off at 4:05AM so that I could meet my running group at 5:30AM. My legs were so stiff and sore from cross-training this week that I wasn't sure if I could even run. My quads were super tight, but I still got ready and left to meet some of my running group in Apopka for the hills option this week. I need all the hill training I can get. The hills and bridges in the NYC Marathon make me the most nervous about the race. My plan was 10 miles but I stopped after 7 miles and I'm okay with that. The biggest accomplishment was getting out of bed and out the door to run at all, so I won't beat myself over a few missed miles. I can tell I'm getting stronger because I no longer get the urge to stop and walk up a hill. I've learned to pump my arms harder to pull myself up the hill as well as shortening my stride for more efficiency. Eventually, I did loosen up a little on the run, but I got tight again after I was done.
Once I got home, took a shower, and found my Gator gear, it was time to get ready to head to the Gator football game. That's right, I was running off of about 4 and a half hours of sleep and I didn't take a nap! My friend Miguel (my friend Brittany's husband) invited me to go to the Gator game. He got tickets through the Wounded Warrior Project. The car ride to the game passed quickly as he told all about a video game he's been playing and trying to get into the top 500 players. We arrived to the tailgate area for the Wounded Warrior Project at noon. They provided a tent with chairs, food, drinks, and a TV to watch the Michigan UCF game (poor UCF). It was great to meet other warriors. One little boy came up to me and poked me with the foam finger he had, so I smiled and played with him. Suddenly, he dropped the finger and kissed me on my check! His dad yelled, "Son, you can't just go around kissing women!" LOL After they passed out our tickets, Miguel and I went shopping. We went to the bookstore on campus, but he didn't see anything in there. Next, we walked around to find the store he got a shirt at last time we went. Somehow we found it! While we were waiting to cross a street a very intoxicated young lady walked up, put her hand on my shoulder and said "Come on, let's just fucking go." Thankfully, by the time she started walking it was actually safe to walk and she stumbled her way across the street. I just wondered where her friends were. Friends shouldn't let friends walk around intoxicated, by themselves. We even heard some Gator fans say "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty" because Kentucky's mascot is the Wildcat. Haha Once we were in the stadium and found our seats, the weather report at the stadium said it was 97 degrees! I'm glad they handed out fans to use to help keep cool. Throughout the game we saw the medics in our section three different times with a stretcher. From what I saw it was older folks likely suffering from heat exhaustion. The Gators came out strong! Now, it could have been because Kentucky sucks, but I thought Luke Del Rio, our new quarterback, made solid plays. I'm excited to watch him this season because I like it when quarterbacks actually throw the ball long and take more risks. We kicked butt! I think the final score was 45 to 7! I had fun with Miguel. It was such an awesome game to watch!
By the time I got home and told my dad all about the game (my mom said he watched every minute of the game on TV to see if he would see me in the stands even tough I told him we were sitting pretty high up.), I was finally able to go to bed. It was a fun 24+ hours and I felt great, but I was super tired! Awesome weekend with awesome people!!!
After work on Friday I went to the Maroon 5 concert. Tove Lo opened the show and she was incredible. Seriously, check out her music. I thought her take on love was interesting. In one song she proclaims "I'm not on drugs / I'm not on drugs / I'm just in love" and in another song she explains "You're gone and I gotta stay / High all the time / To keep you off my mind". So, basically love is a drug and I've never taken a hit. I'm as clean and as sober as can be. I love Maroon 5, but honestly I only know Maroon 5 as Adam Levine. I love when he hits the high notes! They put on an amazing show and it was fun hanging out with Kim! Kim and I left a little early from the show because I had a long Saturday ahead of me. We left around 10:45PM and by the time I got home and laid out my running stuff for the morning, it was around 11:30PM by the time I went to bed.
Surprisingly, I woke up without hesitation when my alarm went off at 4:05AM so that I could meet my running group at 5:30AM. My legs were so stiff and sore from cross-training this week that I wasn't sure if I could even run. My quads were super tight, but I still got ready and left to meet some of my running group in Apopka for the hills option this week. I need all the hill training I can get. The hills and bridges in the NYC Marathon make me the most nervous about the race. My plan was 10 miles but I stopped after 7 miles and I'm okay with that. The biggest accomplishment was getting out of bed and out the door to run at all, so I won't beat myself over a few missed miles. I can tell I'm getting stronger because I no longer get the urge to stop and walk up a hill. I've learned to pump my arms harder to pull myself up the hill as well as shortening my stride for more efficiency. Eventually, I did loosen up a little on the run, but I got tight again after I was done.
Once I got home, took a shower, and found my Gator gear, it was time to get ready to head to the Gator football game. That's right, I was running off of about 4 and a half hours of sleep and I didn't take a nap! My friend Miguel (my friend Brittany's husband) invited me to go to the Gator game. He got tickets through the Wounded Warrior Project. The car ride to the game passed quickly as he told all about a video game he's been playing and trying to get into the top 500 players. We arrived to the tailgate area for the Wounded Warrior Project at noon. They provided a tent with chairs, food, drinks, and a TV to watch the Michigan UCF game (poor UCF). It was great to meet other warriors. One little boy came up to me and poked me with the foam finger he had, so I smiled and played with him. Suddenly, he dropped the finger and kissed me on my check! His dad yelled, "Son, you can't just go around kissing women!" LOL After they passed out our tickets, Miguel and I went shopping. We went to the bookstore on campus, but he didn't see anything in there. Next, we walked around to find the store he got a shirt at last time we went. Somehow we found it! While we were waiting to cross a street a very intoxicated young lady walked up, put her hand on my shoulder and said "Come on, let's just fucking go." Thankfully, by the time she started walking it was actually safe to walk and she stumbled her way across the street. I just wondered where her friends were. Friends shouldn't let friends walk around intoxicated, by themselves. We even heard some Gator fans say "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty" because Kentucky's mascot is the Wildcat. Haha Once we were in the stadium and found our seats, the weather report at the stadium said it was 97 degrees! I'm glad they handed out fans to use to help keep cool. Throughout the game we saw the medics in our section three different times with a stretcher. From what I saw it was older folks likely suffering from heat exhaustion. The Gators came out strong! Now, it could have been because Kentucky sucks, but I thought Luke Del Rio, our new quarterback, made solid plays. I'm excited to watch him this season because I like it when quarterbacks actually throw the ball long and take more risks. We kicked butt! I think the final score was 45 to 7! I had fun with Miguel. It was such an awesome game to watch!
By the time I got home and told my dad all about the game (my mom said he watched every minute of the game on TV to see if he would see me in the stands even tough I told him we were sitting pretty high up.), I was finally able to go to bed. It was a fun 24+ hours and I felt great, but I was super tired! Awesome weekend with awesome people!!!
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Preparing for the Marathon and Winter
I did something I don't think I've ever done before. I ran 100 miles in one month! It is possible I've done it in the past and didn't know it though. I also ran 18.5 miles during one of my long runs, which is my longest training run to date. Surprisingly, I wasn't even sore after running 18.5 miles. Say what? That's right, I must be getting in some kind of shape because after the run I was jumping and doing lunges to test my legs and they performed as if they weren't even fatigued.
Am I getting excited for New York? HELL YEAH, I AM!!!!! I think about it everyday. I have two countdowns on my phone: One for when I leave to go to New York (59 days) and one for race day (62 days)! It's practically two months away!!!! I have a tentative itinerary that Taylor has given me free reign over. She's pretty much just going with the flow. I know her nature to plan, so I appreciate how much trust and faith she has in me to make the itinerary. I also know that whenever we go somewhere and I'm the one driving, I tend to drive and navigate. Whereas whenever we go somewhere and she's the one driving, she drives and I navigate. I am taking it upon myself to learn the subway lines and bus routes so that I can confidently lead the way. However, I also think getting lost in NYC would make one good story tell. Other than the Race and being in NYC with my bestie, I'm most excited about seeing Wicked on Broadway and walking over the Brooklyn bridge!
I've started preparing for winter in NYC. I'm a typical Florida girl with very limited winter apparel. I recently bought over the knee, suede, black boots. I sprayed water and stain repellent on them to make them water waterproof. I also purchased a black, thigh length, waterproof jacket. I love it because it's form fitting and looks amazing with my boots! Now, I just need some tops, bottoms and scarves and I think I'll be all set. I'm not buying any winter running apparel for the race. I figured once I actually get to NY, I can decide if I should buy additional running gear (arm sleeves, ear muffs, etc.) at the Expo to keep warm. Even if it's in the 50's, I should be comfortable in shorts and a tank to run in. I already have throw away sweatpants and sweatshirt that I will use to keep warm at the start of the race and then toss once I get warmed up. All of the runners' discarded items on the side of the road will be donated to charity.
Am I getting excited for New York? HELL YEAH, I AM!!!!! I think about it everyday. I have two countdowns on my phone: One for when I leave to go to New York (59 days) and one for race day (62 days)! It's practically two months away!!!! I have a tentative itinerary that Taylor has given me free reign over. She's pretty much just going with the flow. I know her nature to plan, so I appreciate how much trust and faith she has in me to make the itinerary. I also know that whenever we go somewhere and I'm the one driving, I tend to drive and navigate. Whereas whenever we go somewhere and she's the one driving, she drives and I navigate. I am taking it upon myself to learn the subway lines and bus routes so that I can confidently lead the way. However, I also think getting lost in NYC would make one good story tell. Other than the Race and being in NYC with my bestie, I'm most excited about seeing Wicked on Broadway and walking over the Brooklyn bridge!
I've started preparing for winter in NYC. I'm a typical Florida girl with very limited winter apparel. I recently bought over the knee, suede, black boots. I sprayed water and stain repellent on them to make them water waterproof. I also purchased a black, thigh length, waterproof jacket. I love it because it's form fitting and looks amazing with my boots! Now, I just need some tops, bottoms and scarves and I think I'll be all set. I'm not buying any winter running apparel for the race. I figured once I actually get to NY, I can decide if I should buy additional running gear (arm sleeves, ear muffs, etc.) at the Expo to keep warm. Even if it's in the 50's, I should be comfortable in shorts and a tank to run in. I already have throw away sweatpants and sweatshirt that I will use to keep warm at the start of the race and then toss once I get warmed up. All of the runners' discarded items on the side of the road will be donated to charity.
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