Better than yesterday...

K and I met with a photographer after work to discuss the free engagement photo session that we won as a door prize at the open house for the Allan House that we went to back in January. We both really liked him and felt comfortable, so I think we may use him for the wedding as well. We went ahead and scheduled the initial photo shoot for Sunday, April 13 on the trail since that is so much of who we are as a couple...but I just realized that the Bun Run is that morning, so we'll have to reschedule. I think that was the last good race that I had, and yet again, it's hard to believe that it's been a year since then. Even though it's not my 5k PR, I am really proud of that race because I ran 7:31 even splits which is what I had trained for with Mac at that time. Ah, those were the good ol' days.

After our meeting with the photographer, K and I talked through the situation from yesterday and, hopefully, the wedding planning will go somewhat easier now. Then, I went to the gym for a repeat of last night's workout. I didn't swim though after doing weights because the lap lanes were already doubled up in the pool. And, I needed to get home a little early in order to pack...which I still haven't done yet.

The good and the bad for the day...

First, the good. I had a great workout tonight (although no running was involved). I did my regular weight routine for about 50 minutes then swam for 30 minutes at the gym. When I was working out regularly (pre-K), it was typical for me to do cardio (run or Stairmaster), weights, and finish up with a swim as my regular routine. I've definitely gotten out of the swim habit, but tonight I realized how much I miss it. It's obviously good for cardio and arm strength, but it's also just so soothing and relaxing. I'm certainly not a fast swimmer or a great swimmer by an stretch, but I can swim easy laps. I really wish I was more comfortable swimming in open water because I would definitely add a couple of tri's to my race calendar. The last one that I did was "The Rookie" in San Marcos back in May, 2006 (wow, has it really been that long ago?!), and I actually fared relatively well (8th in my age group and even 1st on the run). Ah, those were the days when I was fast and fit in all my cute clothes.

Now, for the bad. I am frustrated with K yet again for his (in)decision-making style. We went for a consultation/tasting of wedding cakes this evening. It was up in Pflugerville, so it meant that we had to take off work early and deal with rush hour traffic on I-35 in order to get there. Once there, I was able to get an idea for the bride's cake pretty quickly; however, things didn't go so easily for the groom's cake. Afterwards, we got into an argument about the whole thing and then K proceeded to throw the issue of money in my face. Hmm, as I recall, I wasn't the one who wanted a big, fancy wedding in the first place. Grrrrrrr....

Back to reality...

After essentially a week's vacation last week and a low-key weekend, I ran smack dab back into reality yesterday. First of all, we slept in super late on Sunday morning so I couldn't go to sleep when I needed to on Sunday night and had a hard time getting back into the routine of waking up early yesterday. Fortunately, things at work weren't in horrible shape yesterday after being away for a week, but I just had a lot to do. I put in a good 9+ hours and finally had to force myself to just leave knowing that it would still all be waiting for me when I got here today. And, it is.

So, it's back to the reality of work, running (or not running as has been the case lately), wedding planning, and enjoying my time with K. The latter is obviously my favorite activity.

As we were driving back home after picking up a pizza from Frank and Angie's for dinner last night, I commented to K that Austin really is such a great place to live and we're fortunate to live here. Later in the evening I decided to peruse the latest job postings since I have gotten out of the habit lately of checking them just to see what's out there. Several positions in children's hospitals and juvenile justice settings out of state caught my eye, but I just had to remind myself that we love living here and don't want to move. I also had the sad realization that the longer I stay in my current position then the harder I think it will be for me to transition back to a medical setting because I will have been out of that area for so long and will have made my niche in forensic psychology. But, I have to remind myself that this was the population that I originally wanted to work with way back when so I do have a strong interest in it and am obviously fortunate to be have such responsibility in my current position as I am still relatively early in my career. So, I guess I'm trying to accept that this is where I'm at right now, remind myself that I chose it, and realize that it's not such a horrible place to be after all.

It's Madness!

Seriously, I really understand now why they call it "March Madness." Because it is.

Maybe it's because I didn't go to a school with any powerhouse athletic teams that it's hard for me to relate to these rabid college sports fans. However, I will soon be married to one! :) It seems like basketball has been on non-stop for several days now, and it's not over yet.

We ventured out to watch the Pitt game at Third Base last night. Let's just say that K wasn't happy with the outcome and leave it at that. The place was packed though with fans from Wisconsin, Michigan State, Kansas, and Texas A&M. And, it was LOUD. I self-soothed with an oreo milkshake and queso in order to get through it. Not the best coping mechanism when half my wardrobe doesn't fit right now...

We were obviously hoping that Pitt would win last night so that we could see them play when we go to Houston for the Regionals next weekend. Instead, we'll have to deal with a ton of fair-weather Texas fans. I just checked to see how much tickets in our section are going for now that Texas won...I found one listing for $479 each. Hmmm, that could pay for something for the wedding. Tickets anyone? :)

Back in Austin...

I had a relatively smooth day traveling back home yesterday, although K didn't fare quite so well. I got back around 5:30pm yesterday and was greeted by a beautiful spring day in Austin (as I was still wearing my sweater from the cooler temps in DC). I had a rare Friday night to myself since K wasn't scheduled to arrive until much later. While it was nice to have some quiet time (i.e., no sports) to run a few errands and do some things around the house, I was looking forward to K getting home. Unfortunately, his plane got delayed by about an hour so he didn't get home until a little after midnight. But, he made it and we quickly fell asleep in our own bed.

With the late night for us, K and I didn't make it to our long run (RunTex to Rogue) this morning. It's not the first long run that I've missed either lately. Ugh. It's amazing how much more you can get done though when you aren't spending hours and hours running in the evenings during the week and on weekend mornings!

It's such a beautiful day today! K grilled wings outside for lunch then I made my exit to run some errands when it was time for basketball to start. We're going out to watch the Pitt game tonight. Sigh, this will be the highlight of my Saturday night.

Stuck in DC...

After an afternoon spent watching the opening round of the Tournament at a local DC sports bar, I kissed K goodbye while he stayed to watch the Pitt game with some of his college buddies as I headed off to the airport to catch my flight home. K's flight home is scheduled for early tomorrow evening, so he had an extra night in DC.

However, plans change...as I used the self check-in kiosk at the airport, I found out that I had been rebooked on a different flight tomorrow for "operational" reasons. What?! So, I moved over to a different line in order to talk to someone about what was going on. Yes, my original flight home was canceled, and they couldn't get me on any other flight with any other airline in order to get home tonight. Normally, this would have sent me through the roof, but it actually worked out in my favor since I got to stay here with K tonight and miss another day of work tomorrow. So, I got a hotel voucher from the airline and we are staying in Crystal City near the airport. The best part is that I don't have to sleep without my K after all tonight. :)

Wedding crashers....

We went out to the suburbs of Clarendon, Virginia to meet up with two of K's fraternity brothers and their significant others for dinner tonight. I had met one of the couples at the wedding we went to in Vegas last summer. Inevitably, the dinner conversation consisted of sports (lots of talk about how well their alma mater of Pitt will do in "the tournament") and crazy stories from their college days. After hearing a lot of them though, it has me a bit anxious about what kind of trouble they could get into at our wedding. It was nice to get to know them though and see how they fit into K's life.

Art!

After a yummy cheeseburger for lunch at Billy Goat Tavern (a famous Chicago eatery), I met K at the National Gallery of Art nearby for a quick visit before my next conference session. Initially, we went to see the exhibition "In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographs from Corot to Monet." However, I was pleasantly surprised by the modern and contemporary art in the gallery collections nearby. I wish I had more time to really take it all in though because there were many pieces by some of my favorite artists...Pollock, Rothko, O'Keefe, Picasso, Magritte, Matisse, Warhol, among others. I think my favorite part was the room with 5 large Rothko pieces in it...I had to just sit on the bench and enjoy that for a moment!

Tonight we're going to have dinner with a couple of K's friends from college.

K and m in DC...

I arrived in DC yesterday evening and K flew in this afternoon. I'm here for a conference for work, but I've already managed to fit in a bit of sightseeing. We're staying at a hotel just south of the Mall and have familiarized ourselves with the Metro system here in order to get around. The weather was slightly cooler than I was expecting today...50 degrees seems to feel colder here than it does in Austin, and of course I came without a coat, hat, or gloves. Very smart, mel.

I had somewhat of an extended lunch break during the conference today, which is at a hotel near Capitol Hill. So, after grabbing a quick bite to eat, I headed over to the Capitol to snap some pictures and then also had enough time to hit the U.S. Supreme Court and Library of Congress as well. Apparently, the Supreme Court was hearing oral arguments about the Washington DC ban on handguns, so there was a lot of activity going on there.
K and I went to The White House this evening on our way to the Dupont Circle area for dinner.
More pictures from the day are here.

Celebration!

We celebrated the marriage of Sadie and Chad last night at Star Hill Ranch. It was exciting to see two of our friends get married and share in their joy! The happy couple during their first dance...
I heard a lot about the wedding planning during my runs with Sadie over the past year, so it was great to see it all come together in the end. This was also the first wedding that we've attended where we found ourselves really noticing a lot of the details and thinking about our own upcoming day.

In a funk...

My motivation to do pretty much anything has really been lacking lately.

First, I have totally slacked off with my running in the past few weeks, mostly since the engagement I think. I've just felt so busy and pressured with work and the wedding plans that I haven't had much energy or time to devote to it like I should, especially with our marathon looming a little over a month away. I'm sure the fact that my shin pain resurfaced again hasn't helped matters either.

Second, I know it seems like we've done a lot already in terms of the wedding planning, but we have SO MUCH MORE to do. I feel like I should be doing more.

Third, I am feeling pretty asocial right now. I am finding myself getting irritated with everything and everyone, including friends and our families. I feel let down by others a lot lately and, at the same time, I feel selfish for feeling that way. I'm also sorting out my feelings toward my future in-law's.

I'm going to DC for work next week. At this point, it doesn't look like K will be coming with me because we can't find a good deal on a flight. As much as I hate being apart from him (remember Thanksgiving), I am hoping that the trip will do me some good in terms of getting away from things for a few days.

Too many decisions!

I'm not the kind of bride who dreamed about her wedding when she was a young girl. Instead I was out playing baseball with the boys, reading books, and building forts in the woods. Unfortunately, this is making the wedding planning that much harder now because I don't have a clear idea or "vision" about what I want. For example, we tackled choosing our wedding colors today. There are just too many colors and color combinations to choose from! We have already identified several color combos that we like, but how do we decide which is "the one"? I know I should consider the venue, the season, the flowers, the dresses, etc., but beyond that I don't know how I decide between option A or option B or option Z when they are all equally acceptable? Katie, my interior designer friend, any ideas?

We're also on the fence about how casual vs. formal we'd like for things to be. Remember, I'm a "beach-casual" bride, while K is a "romantic" bride. So, I'm leaning more toward having Rudy's cater the reception because that is more "m and K" than a formal plated dinner. I want to be comfortable and have FUN on our day, not uptight or formal (so, Holly, this means that I expect you to have a wine bottle in hand!). I think a good indication that we may be leaning toward more casual is which save-the-date cards we ended up choosing. You'll see what I mean... :)

I still have not tackled the dress yet, although I already have a bridesmaid dress in mind that caught my eye pretty quickly. For some reason, I'm nervous about actually going to look at dresses. I think I'm worried that I'm not going to find one that looks good on me, especially since I've got a few extra pounds right now. I know there are so many different styles to choose from though that I am bound to find something that works. I don't think I'm going to have a chance to go look though until next month based on our Saturday long run schedule this month and other things we have going on.

We have tastings/consultations for cakes scheduled in the upcoming weeks. They are for vendors that we've already sampled at some wedding events, so we already know that we really like them. Again, it will just be a matter of making a decision!

Big business...

Wow, weddings are BIG business. I had no idea that there was such an extensive array of vendors for so many different things. We went to a bridal event hosted by Rare magazine at Laguna Gloria last night. Once again, we got to sample food and cakes from a variety of vendors, including many who we had not come across yet in our other planning activities. We've been getting something accomplished every day lately in terms of wedding planning, even if it's small things. So, I'm pleased about that.

In other news, I was able to leave work a little early today in order to vote, which I appreciated being allowed to do. Since we both got home early, we decided to do our quality workout (Ruth's Ladder: 600/400, 400/200, 300/100, 200/2-3 minute recovery x 3 at 5k pace) on our own so that we could finish in time to caucus tonight. Our precint voted at the elementary school just down the street, and there was a great turnout of voters there tonight. It was neat to see so many people in our neighborhood (a scene that appears replicated across the state) really making it a priority to be there. The results are still too close to call, so I guess we'll have to find out tomorrow since it's bedtime.

Busy...

Things have been so busy and pressured at work lately, and I definitely felt that on Friday as I was trying to getting everything wrapped up before the weekend. Unfortunately, we've been so busy with wedding planning and other things this weekend that I don't feel very well-rested to tackle another intense work week that surely lies ahead. To make matters worse, I neglected my running this weekend, which isn't necessarily the best strategy less than 2 months out from a marathon. But, something had to give this weekend and it turned out to be running.

I had a good massage with Ann on Friday after work. She focused almost exclusively on my calves this time since my shin pain had resurfaced in my runs recently. Afterwards, K and I had dinner at home then took a disco nap so that we could stay up past 10pm for a change in order to go to a concert. We went to see Ghostland Observatory at the Austin Music Hall. I was introduced to them for the first time at ACL last year and really liked them. If I had fully comprehended that the concert was the day before a 16-mile LAB run though then I might have reconsidered buying the tickets back in January. Anyway, it was their CD release party, so we both got a (free) copy of their new CD at the show. The opening DJ was amazing! I hadn't heard good dance music like that in a long time, but I just feel like my time for all that has passed. I couldn't handle the crowds of drunken people, so we camped out by the merchandise table near the back. And, then of course I couldn't see anything since I'm so short. Nevertheless, the music was great, and we especially liked one of their last songs "The Band Marches On" when part of the UT band joined them on stage. It was great.
We didn't get to bed until shortly before 1am, so I didn't even bother to set the alarm for 5:30am because I knew we wouldn't get up to run. So, we slept in on Saturday morning, and I got to catch up on some much needed rest. We had lunch at Plucker's then ran a few errands. I worked on our wedding website a lot yesterday (and today, too), then before I knew it it was time for dinner. We went to DK's for sushi because I've been wanting to give it a try, but I wasn't super impressed so I don't think that we'll go back.

We got up early this morning to go to the wedding event at Crate & Barrel that I found out about last weekend. It was an opportunity to register before the store opened, and I am glad that we did it that way. K had fun using the scanner while drinking 2 mimosa's, and we were able to pick a lot of items without too much debate. I'm sure the alcohol helped! Then, later in the afternoon, we went to a small wedding event with a few vendors down at Circle C. We got to sample some yummy cakes and food, and of course have more wine and champagne. I think booze and food is the way to make all of this tolerable for K. Thankfully, we have finalized a date...September 6, 2008 at The Allan House. But, there are still a multitude of decisions left to be made...