Sunday, October 28, 2012
Rock N Roll Los Angeles- Race Recap
Today was the much anticipated Rock N Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon. This is the first race from the Rock N Roll series that Rachel and I have participated in, and I will say it was very well organized and a good race all around.
The course was relatively flat for the most part. At least until mile 9 when the elevation spiked. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't pretty either. Plus, whatever goes up must come down.
It's at races that I always miss having a small camera. There is no way that I would be able to run with the camera I currently have. I used to borrow Patrick's camera, but it was dropped one too many times and no longer works. I've used Rachel's phone before, but that means she can't listen to music. I think it may be time to budget some money for a small camera to bring with me to races. Thankfully Rachel took a few pictures so this post won't be completely boring..
There were a lot of costumes today too. Some cute, some creative and some that made me wonder if these people had ever run in a race before. I'm sure at some point they regretted the decision to wear full get ups in 80+ degree weather and while running a half marathon. Live and learn.
I was lucky enough to find my costume online and it was fairly easy to run in. I was not as lucky to find spandex shorts that were in the right price range and I mistakenly picked a pair of shorts that ended up riding up the entire race. Instead of pulling them down every walking interval I decided to just leave it be. My thighs hate me now. Vaseline will be my new best friend for the next few days.
Rachel and I did really well time wise from the beginning. We hit our stride and stuck with it for a really long time. I had a difficult first two miles, as always, but ended up feeling better between mile two and three. For some reason my shins, knees and thighs were irritating me and my feet were really heavy. Not sure if it's mental or if I just take a while to warm up. It's annoying, but at least it goes away.
We started incorporating extra walk breaks around mile 8. The heat was getting to us and it was nice to cool down by walking a little longer. Shortly after walking up the hill Rachel felt like she was going to slow me down. She told me to go on and I told her no. We're both stubborn like that. I'm not 100% sure, but I think she feels bad, like she's holding me back or something, but to be honest I'd rather walk the entire distance with her than leave her 3 miles out to finish alone. It's not a pride thing, it's a I started this with you I'm finishing it with you feeling.
At mile 12 she told me again to go on and I did. I decided to go from 45:1 intervals to 1:30 intervals. Our goal, as with all half marathons, is to finish in under 3 hours. I crossed the finish line with a time of 2:54:39. Rachel quickly followed, finishing in 2:58:20.
It felt good that both of us were able to reach our goal. We both also discussed getting more serious about our training. We have Santa to the Sea coming up in December. My goal is to start November 1st. I'm not going to go crazy or anything the next few days, but I'm not going to be super strict either. I'm going to do a little research and find a few options for breakfasts and lunches that are easy to make, healthy and filling. I'm also going to sit down and think about a workout schedule in order to get my weekday runs in as well as a few strength training days.
Race results:
Time- 2:54:39
Distance- 13.39
Mile 1- 12:34
Mile 2- 12:44
Mile 3- 13:07
Mile 4- 12:29
Mile 5- 12:41
Mile 6- 12:49
Mile 7- 12:26
Mile 8- 12:55
Mile 9- 13:31
Mile 10- 14:10
Mile 11- 14:45
Mile 12- 15:27
Mile 13- 10:44
Mile 0.39- 4:10
Thursday, October 25, 2012
What Did I Just Do...?
I've never considered myself to be a writer. I don't have many ideas to write a great novel. Most of the poems I've written rhyme because it's easier. I once wanted to write a children's book about potty training, but never got around to it and have since lost the rough draft.
I took one creative writing class once in college. I don't know if it was laziness or if it was the fact that everyone else was amazing, but it made me realize that writing was not something I wanted to do and was not something I had a passion for.
But I've been feeling lately that I need a little more. Now that the wedding planning is over I feel like I have a lot of spare time and I want to fill it with more than just trash TV.
Then I came across this. It seemed interesting and something I might want to attempt. I mean, maybe there is something more inside of me that I have yet to discover because I haven't tried.
So, I signed up today here. I'm now in the process of creating my profile and learning about what this entails. I'm already beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed, but I'm hoping these tips they provided will help:
1) It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Really. You’ve read a lot of novels, so you’re completely up to the challenge of writing one. If you feel more comfortable outlining your story ahead of time, do it! But it’s also fine to just wing it. Write every day, and a book-worthy story will appear, even if you’re not sure what that story might be right now.
2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December and beyond. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nit picky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn’t. Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.
3) Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month. Seriously. Email them now about your awesome new book. The looming specter of personal humiliation is a very reliable muse.
3.5) There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through. Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.
And we’re talking the good kind of yodeling here.
So, now I'm off to start brain storming an idea for a novel. We're not allowed to start writing until November 1st though so the idea I currently have may change.. I'm thinking of writing a book of letters from a mother (me) to her daughter (Isabel) from before she was born to the present. It will cover multiple areas of our lives together. We'll see how it works out..
I took one creative writing class once in college. I don't know if it was laziness or if it was the fact that everyone else was amazing, but it made me realize that writing was not something I wanted to do and was not something I had a passion for.
But I've been feeling lately that I need a little more. Now that the wedding planning is over I feel like I have a lot of spare time and I want to fill it with more than just trash TV.
Then I came across this. It seemed interesting and something I might want to attempt. I mean, maybe there is something more inside of me that I have yet to discover because I haven't tried.
So, I signed up today here. I'm now in the process of creating my profile and learning about what this entails. I'm already beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed, but I'm hoping these tips they provided will help:
1) It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Really. You’ve read a lot of novels, so you’re completely up to the challenge of writing one. If you feel more comfortable outlining your story ahead of time, do it! But it’s also fine to just wing it. Write every day, and a book-worthy story will appear, even if you’re not sure what that story might be right now.
2) Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December and beyond. Think of November as an experiment in pure output. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nit picky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn’t. Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.
3) Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month. Seriously. Email them now about your awesome new book. The looming specter of personal humiliation is a very reliable muse.
3.5) There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through. Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.
And we’re talking the good kind of yodeling here.
So, now I'm off to start brain storming an idea for a novel. We're not allowed to start writing until November 1st though so the idea I currently have may change.. I'm thinking of writing a book of letters from a mother (me) to her daughter (Isabel) from before she was born to the present. It will cover multiple areas of our lives together. We'll see how it works out..
Matron of Honor Speech
There were a few moments before the ceremony started that I teared up and was ready to cry. They were tears of nervousness and excitement.
As soon as I walked down the aisle I was overwhelmed with emotion, all happiness and I could not stop smiling. I was afraid that I would be a crying baby during the entire ceremony, but I held it together.
I was also afraid I would cry during the speeches. My dad's speech was short and sweet. The best man's speech was both funny and meaningful (I'm trying to get a copy of his speech). But my matron-of-honors speech was touching and brought a tear or two to my eye. I was lucky enough to get a copy of her speech so that I don't have to try to remember what she said, I can refer to it whenever I want.
"Good evening! For those of you who don't know me, I am Rachel, the very proud big sister of our beautiful Bride. I want to start by congratulating Tracy and Patrick, and thanking all of you for coming here today.
When I look at Tracy and Patrick, I feel such a whirlwind of emotions. I know that Tracy has found her true match and I know that theirs will be a marriage of long standing.
I never knew Patrick before he dated my sister, so I can't tell you any horrible stories about him, but I can tell you that I think he is perfect for my sister! He's easy going, interesting, and he has a great sense of humor! His only downfall, that I can think of is, well he is an Angels fan! (she pulled out and put on a Dodger's hat) Other than that we are very happy to welcome Patrick into our family.
Tracy, I want to note how beautiful you look today, and to tell you that this has truly been a special day for me. Thank you for giving true meaning to the word sister and for sharing the last 27 years with me. As children Tracy and I weren't always that close and in all honesty we were complete opposites. I had dark hair and dark eyes, Tracy had blonde hair and blue eyes, and I MAY HAVE told her NUMEROUS times while growing up she was adopted and the mailman was her dad.
I was very outgoing and Tracy was shy and laid back. But as we have grown up we have definitely become more alike, and more than sisters. We have become best friends and more and more of our life is very similar. Tracy and I have both picked really amazing me to call our husbands - and look how lucky we both are the we can both say we have amazing brother in laws!
Tracy went along with a CRAZY idea I had to start running marathons, and now every Saturday we get to hang out, catch up and really the miles fly by because I have my best friend running alongside me.
I think that perhaps because I am Tracy's big sister, I sometimes worry about her. But not today. Tracy has definitely found the right man in Patrick and I'm happy and proud to be her Matron of Honor.
I thought about the words of advice that I'd like to give to the newlyweds and came up with this:
The two secrets of a long lasting and happy marriage are a good sense of humor and a short memory!
Patrick, always remember to say those three important little words... "You're right dear." If you're clever, you'll always have the last word. However, if you are very clever, you won't use it. When you are wrong, admit it. Whenever you are right, be quiet.
Separately, you are two special, remarkable people, but together you are complete.
Please raise your glasses while I toast my sister and her husband:
Take each day and cherish your time together. Love one another and stand together. Here's to love, laughter and happily every after. Cheers!"
As soon as I walked down the aisle I was overwhelmed with emotion, all happiness and I could not stop smiling. I was afraid that I would be a crying baby during the entire ceremony, but I held it together.
I was also afraid I would cry during the speeches. My dad's speech was short and sweet. The best man's speech was both funny and meaningful (I'm trying to get a copy of his speech). But my matron-of-honors speech was touching and brought a tear or two to my eye. I was lucky enough to get a copy of her speech so that I don't have to try to remember what she said, I can refer to it whenever I want.
"Good evening! For those of you who don't know me, I am Rachel, the very proud big sister of our beautiful Bride. I want to start by congratulating Tracy and Patrick, and thanking all of you for coming here today.
When I look at Tracy and Patrick, I feel such a whirlwind of emotions. I know that Tracy has found her true match and I know that theirs will be a marriage of long standing.
I never knew Patrick before he dated my sister, so I can't tell you any horrible stories about him, but I can tell you that I think he is perfect for my sister! He's easy going, interesting, and he has a great sense of humor! His only downfall, that I can think of is, well he is an Angels fan! (she pulled out and put on a Dodger's hat) Other than that we are very happy to welcome Patrick into our family.
Tracy, I want to note how beautiful you look today, and to tell you that this has truly been a special day for me. Thank you for giving true meaning to the word sister and for sharing the last 27 years with me. As children Tracy and I weren't always that close and in all honesty we were complete opposites. I had dark hair and dark eyes, Tracy had blonde hair and blue eyes, and I MAY HAVE told her NUMEROUS times while growing up she was adopted and the mailman was her dad.
I was very outgoing and Tracy was shy and laid back. But as we have grown up we have definitely become more alike, and more than sisters. We have become best friends and more and more of our life is very similar. Tracy and I have both picked really amazing me to call our husbands - and look how lucky we both are the we can both say we have amazing brother in laws!
Tracy went along with a CRAZY idea I had to start running marathons, and now every Saturday we get to hang out, catch up and really the miles fly by because I have my best friend running alongside me.
I think that perhaps because I am Tracy's big sister, I sometimes worry about her. But not today. Tracy has definitely found the right man in Patrick and I'm happy and proud to be her Matron of Honor.
I thought about the words of advice that I'd like to give to the newlyweds and came up with this:
The two secrets of a long lasting and happy marriage are a good sense of humor and a short memory!
Patrick, always remember to say those three important little words... "You're right dear." If you're clever, you'll always have the last word. However, if you are very clever, you won't use it. When you are wrong, admit it. Whenever you are right, be quiet.
Separately, you are two special, remarkable people, but together you are complete.
Please raise your glasses while I toast my sister and her husband:
Take each day and cherish your time together. Love one another and stand together. Here's to love, laughter and happily every after. Cheers!"
Thankful Thursday
I was planning on doing a wedding addition the Thursday before the wedding, but I was a little distracted. Then last Thursday we were still on our honeymoon..
I want to say a huge thank you to our entire wedding party and to our parents. Without every single one of them we would not be able to have had such an amazing wedding!
A big thank you to my maid of honor for planning a beautiful bridal shower, an incredibly fun bachelorette party and for giving a very touching speech. I love you and I am so glad we are not only sisters, but best friends!
1. I am thankful to get back into a routine. As fun and as needed as it was to go on our honeymoon it's nice to be back home. I'm trying to get back into better eating and exercise habits as well, but having a little difficulty with that.
2. I am thankful that I am taking tomorrow off. My dad was supposed to be having knee surgery, but it got postponed. I had originally taken the day off and decided to keep it as a day off so that I can take Isabel to school, get caught up on laundry and start the name change process by going to the social security office.
3. I am thankful that I made the time to go to the book store yesterday. Isabel's teacher recommended a book for parents of gifted children. I took Isabel to the library to look for it, but ended up getting her 8 books because all of the books for the subject I needed were already checked out. Then we went to Barnes and Noble. The book that was recommended is online only, but I was able to find one similar. I really think this is going to help us.
4. I am thankful that I decided to start writing in a journal. I started two nights ago and I already feel a little stress lifted. It's nice to be able to get everything out and not worry about it. I found a cute journal and am planning on writing in it every day for a year in order to cross another item off of my bucket list.
5. I am thankful for our new mixer. My new in-laws bought us the countertop mixer we registered for and I was able to use it for the first time last night. It is amazing! I made mini cupcakes last night for our running group tonight and it made it so much easier to mix. I'm in love!
I want to say a huge thank you to our entire wedding party and to our parents. Without every single one of them we would not be able to have had such an amazing wedding!
A big thank you to my maid of honor for planning a beautiful bridal shower, an incredibly fun bachelorette party and for giving a very touching speech. I love you and I am so glad we are not only sisters, but best friends!
1. I am thankful to get back into a routine. As fun and as needed as it was to go on our honeymoon it's nice to be back home. I'm trying to get back into better eating and exercise habits as well, but having a little difficulty with that.
2. I am thankful that I am taking tomorrow off. My dad was supposed to be having knee surgery, but it got postponed. I had originally taken the day off and decided to keep it as a day off so that I can take Isabel to school, get caught up on laundry and start the name change process by going to the social security office.
3. I am thankful that I made the time to go to the book store yesterday. Isabel's teacher recommended a book for parents of gifted children. I took Isabel to the library to look for it, but ended up getting her 8 books because all of the books for the subject I needed were already checked out. Then we went to Barnes and Noble. The book that was recommended is online only, but I was able to find one similar. I really think this is going to help us.
4. I am thankful that I decided to start writing in a journal. I started two nights ago and I already feel a little stress lifted. It's nice to be able to get everything out and not worry about it. I found a cute journal and am planning on writing in it every day for a year in order to cross another item off of my bucket list.
5. I am thankful for our new mixer. My new in-laws bought us the countertop mixer we registered for and I was able to use it for the first time last night. It is amazing! I made mini cupcakes last night for our running group tonight and it made it so much easier to mix. I'm in love!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Let's Try This Again..
I posted on Monday about how I was going to start over with My Fitness Pal.
That lasted a whole 8 hours, if that.
I did really well while I was at work and then failed epically when I remembered I had trail mix in my car. I was slightly hungry, not starving (I could have waited until dinner) but that hungry feeling was present and I couldn't get it to just shut up..
So I ate trail mix. Then I ate some more. Then I found a bag of chocolate, including peanut butter cups and rolos. Then I said eff it and just went to town. Then deleted my post because I was so ashamed.
Then last night, after my second helping of dinner, I sat down with an empty journal that I was considering selling at our garage sale in December. I started writing. This is what came out:
"Somethings gotta give. I'm at that point. I want something, but I don't quite want it bad enough to do anything about it. It basically comes down to my lack of self control and my amazing ability to come up with an excuse for anything and everything.
So, what do I want more? Do I want to eat better and start working out in order to lose weight and become healthier, or do I want to continue this pattern of unhealthy eating inevitable reaching a point of unhappiness and at some point a need to buy bigger clothes?
I know the answer to that question. Yet I cannot find the motivation to start. And when I do start I cannot find the self control to last more than a day.
I did have motivation at one point, but that left and I can honestly say that I don't know if/when it will return. It's so much easier with the motivation too, of course, which is why without the motivation it makes i to much easier to make excuses.
Maybe I'm just expecting to change too much at once. Maybe changing my eating habits and training for half marathons and incorporating workout DVDs into my daily life is just too much. I tend to do that, whether I have motivation or not. I make big plans, get burnt out and eventually I quit.
I need to find a balance to do all three. That's the only way it's going to work. I know what I need to do, it's just a matter of doing it.
And then of course controlling my self control.
I don't expect things to change overnight. I never have. Yes, it's frustrating to gain weight quickly and then have it take so long to take it off, but I know this is a lifestyle change. It's a work in progress and it will take time to make it a habit and to make the changes last.
I have a bad habit of saying "I'll start over (fill in the blank)." I tend to start over the next Monday and then I'll go overboard up until that point. I also have a bad habit of eating well during the weekdays for breakfast and lunch, then going overboard at dinner and way overboard on weekends.
Why do I make it so much more difficult than it needs to be? Why can't someone just tell me what to eat and when and what workouts to do? Oh, right. Because this is real life..
Okay, so then what's the plan? To be honest, I have no idea. That's part of why I'm so frustrated. I want results but I don't know how to get there and if I'm being honest, I don't want to put in the work.
That's pretty lazy of me. Especially since I know I have to do the work to get results.
I still don't have a plan, but I'm sure something will happen. It has to.."
I weighed in on Monday at 171. Since then I have peeked and the scale is going down. So many me starting small by packing my breakfast, lunch and snacks is making progress. Maybe I should stick with this for now and in a week or so add something else, like a workout or two during the week and continue that way for awhile.
I'm hoping at some point it's all going to click and everything will fit into place.
That lasted a whole 8 hours, if that.
I did really well while I was at work and then failed epically when I remembered I had trail mix in my car. I was slightly hungry, not starving (I could have waited until dinner) but that hungry feeling was present and I couldn't get it to just shut up..
So I ate trail mix. Then I ate some more. Then I found a bag of chocolate, including peanut butter cups and rolos. Then I said eff it and just went to town. Then deleted my post because I was so ashamed.
Then last night, after my second helping of dinner, I sat down with an empty journal that I was considering selling at our garage sale in December. I started writing. This is what came out:
"Somethings gotta give. I'm at that point. I want something, but I don't quite want it bad enough to do anything about it. It basically comes down to my lack of self control and my amazing ability to come up with an excuse for anything and everything.
So, what do I want more? Do I want to eat better and start working out in order to lose weight and become healthier, or do I want to continue this pattern of unhealthy eating inevitable reaching a point of unhappiness and at some point a need to buy bigger clothes?
I know the answer to that question. Yet I cannot find the motivation to start. And when I do start I cannot find the self control to last more than a day.
I did have motivation at one point, but that left and I can honestly say that I don't know if/when it will return. It's so much easier with the motivation too, of course, which is why without the motivation it makes i to much easier to make excuses.
Maybe I'm just expecting to change too much at once. Maybe changing my eating habits and training for half marathons and incorporating workout DVDs into my daily life is just too much. I tend to do that, whether I have motivation or not. I make big plans, get burnt out and eventually I quit.
I need to find a balance to do all three. That's the only way it's going to work. I know what I need to do, it's just a matter of doing it.
And then of course controlling my self control.
I don't expect things to change overnight. I never have. Yes, it's frustrating to gain weight quickly and then have it take so long to take it off, but I know this is a lifestyle change. It's a work in progress and it will take time to make it a habit and to make the changes last.
I have a bad habit of saying "I'll start over (fill in the blank)." I tend to start over the next Monday and then I'll go overboard up until that point. I also have a bad habit of eating well during the weekdays for breakfast and lunch, then going overboard at dinner and way overboard on weekends.
Why do I make it so much more difficult than it needs to be? Why can't someone just tell me what to eat and when and what workouts to do? Oh, right. Because this is real life..
Okay, so then what's the plan? To be honest, I have no idea. That's part of why I'm so frustrated. I want results but I don't know how to get there and if I'm being honest, I don't want to put in the work.
That's pretty lazy of me. Especially since I know I have to do the work to get results.
I still don't have a plan, but I'm sure something will happen. It has to.."
I weighed in on Monday at 171. Since then I have peeked and the scale is going down. So many me starting small by packing my breakfast, lunch and snacks is making progress. Maybe I should stick with this for now and in a week or so add something else, like a workout or two during the week and continue that way for awhile.
I'm hoping at some point it's all going to click and everything will fit into place.
Honeymoon Recap
I could sit here and attempt to remember every detail of every day of our honeymoon. But I'm sure of two things. 1. I probably cannot remember every detail of every day. In fact I'm hoping to remember the basics of each day we were there. And 2. I probably care more about the details of my honeymoon than anyone else. Probably even more than Patrick...
So here are the basics of our honeymoon:
Saturday- We checked out of our hotel room and went to my parents for a final send off before the honeymoon. As we reached my car in the parking lot I saw that my dad and Isabel had written on the windows. This included "Just Married" on the back and hearts on the back windows. After seeing everyone and having lunch we quickly opened our gifts and left around 1:40pm for the 8ish hour drive to South Lake Tahoe. We arrived in Lake Tahoe around 9:30ish and immediately checked in. After getting our bags upstairs we went to the casino. I won at three card poker, starting the trip off right with a straight flush.
Sunday- We started our first full day on vacation at the buffet brunch, which included champagne. I can't remember the last time I started drinking that early. I also can't remember the last time I ate eggs, bacon, fried rice and spicy orange chicken for breakfast. The joys of a buffet.. After brunch we headed back to our room where we decided to make a preliminary list of things we wanted to do while on our honeymoon. The list included a helicopter tour, rock climbing, kayaking, boat tour and a shooting range. The shooting range and rock climbing places were too far away and the kayaks were not being rented while we were there. Patrick decided that we should get started the right way and we went on the helicopter tour over Emerald Bay on Sunday, before I lost my courage. It was amazing! We ended the day doing what you do while staying at a casino. We gambled. Nothing too exciting happened.
Monday- We decided to spend our second full day at the spa. Not the whole day, but a solid 2 hours. Our couples massage started at 11am, which gave us from 10-11 to enjoy the spa amenities, including the steam room, sauna and hot tub. Unfortunately we were separated for the first hour and there was no one else at the spa at that time. It was still nice though. Gave us time to relax without having to fill the silence. The massage was amazing and, like any massage, it was definitely not long enough. Again, we ended the day gambling. This time I won again at three card poker with a three of a kind.
Tuesday- We did some driving to the lake. I don't know why it took us 2 days to do some sight seeing, but whatever we were having fun. We decided to buy our tickets for the paddleboat tour and take some pictures of the surrounding areas. As we drove around we did a little day dreaming of how amazing it would be to own a house in Lake Tahoe. Or at all.. At this point in the vacation we were both starting to lose in the casino. Patrick suggested we both sit down with $20 at a roulette table. His luck was not so good this trip (what can I say? Maybe he used up all his good luck on me..) but I wasn't doing so bad. I walked away with $80 and had a fun time playing. I now know my numbers to play at a roulette table.
Wednesday- We went to breakfast at the cafe in the hotel and ended up playing keno. We played 50 games for $5. I never realized how much fun it can be. Especially since it took about 5 hours for those 50 games to play. And because we got the keno channel in our room. We didn't win anything, but it was definitely fun to play and a game that I will play again when we go to Vegas in November for Thanksgiving. We left a little earlier than needed for our boat tour so we went to the lake and walked a little taking a few pictures of the scenery and each other. The boat tour was amazing and took us to Emerald Bay. It was very different seeing it that close up after seeing it from a helicopter. What amazing views and what amazing history.
Thursday- At this point we were ready to go home. We were supposed to leave Friday, but after discussing it, and after getting the "I miss you mommy" call from Isabel, we decided that it would be better to save the money and head home a day early. The original plan was to go to the Sacramento Zoo, but we quickly changed our minds and went straight home. It was an amazing trip and we definitely needed to get away just the two of us.
It's strange being back into our routine. We're married now. That's so weird to say. It's weird and fun to call Patrick my husband and it's weird and exciting to hear him call me his wife. We are both so happy that we are married, but it's a little bittersweet.
It doesn't really feel any different, to be honest. I mean, we've lived together for over a year and three months now. We've been engaged for 14 months. The only thing that's really changed is our titles, my name and the fact that it's recognized by the state of California. Other than that it just feels like it went too fast. The whole planning process, every step of it came and went in what seems like a blink of an eye. That is, until we get our pictures from our amazing photographer. Once those are sent to us, it's all over.
I looked at our contract today. It's only been 10 days since the wedding and I'm already jonesing for photos. They won't be in for 4-6 weeks..
They gave us one sneak peek at the wedding. It was during cocktail hour when Patrick and I had gone off to take pictures. The photographer took our picture, took a step back and asked our main photographer if he could show us the picture. She looked at it and said "Well you pretty much have to." He showed us. We saw one picture on the small screen of a camera. That's it. These photographers were worth every single penny we spent for that picture alone.
I text my mom today that it will be 4-6 weeks before the wedding and she was disappointed, but said "that's okay, it will give us time to save some money so we can order prints." I literally laughed out loud because it's so true. We are going to be spending a lot of money making prints and photobooks. I will be blogging about the wedding as soon as I get pictures (so there will be a wedding recap post in 4-6 weeks.) CVS, get your photo supplies ready.
So here are the basics of our honeymoon:
Saturday- We checked out of our hotel room and went to my parents for a final send off before the honeymoon. As we reached my car in the parking lot I saw that my dad and Isabel had written on the windows. This included "Just Married" on the back and hearts on the back windows. After seeing everyone and having lunch we quickly opened our gifts and left around 1:40pm for the 8ish hour drive to South Lake Tahoe. We arrived in Lake Tahoe around 9:30ish and immediately checked in. After getting our bags upstairs we went to the casino. I won at three card poker, starting the trip off right with a straight flush.
Sunday- We started our first full day on vacation at the buffet brunch, which included champagne. I can't remember the last time I started drinking that early. I also can't remember the last time I ate eggs, bacon, fried rice and spicy orange chicken for breakfast. The joys of a buffet.. After brunch we headed back to our room where we decided to make a preliminary list of things we wanted to do while on our honeymoon. The list included a helicopter tour, rock climbing, kayaking, boat tour and a shooting range. The shooting range and rock climbing places were too far away and the kayaks were not being rented while we were there. Patrick decided that we should get started the right way and we went on the helicopter tour over Emerald Bay on Sunday, before I lost my courage. It was amazing! We ended the day doing what you do while staying at a casino. We gambled. Nothing too exciting happened.
Monday- We decided to spend our second full day at the spa. Not the whole day, but a solid 2 hours. Our couples massage started at 11am, which gave us from 10-11 to enjoy the spa amenities, including the steam room, sauna and hot tub. Unfortunately we were separated for the first hour and there was no one else at the spa at that time. It was still nice though. Gave us time to relax without having to fill the silence. The massage was amazing and, like any massage, it was definitely not long enough. Again, we ended the day gambling. This time I won again at three card poker with a three of a kind.
Tuesday- We did some driving to the lake. I don't know why it took us 2 days to do some sight seeing, but whatever we were having fun. We decided to buy our tickets for the paddleboat tour and take some pictures of the surrounding areas. As we drove around we did a little day dreaming of how amazing it would be to own a house in Lake Tahoe. Or at all.. At this point in the vacation we were both starting to lose in the casino. Patrick suggested we both sit down with $20 at a roulette table. His luck was not so good this trip (what can I say? Maybe he used up all his good luck on me..) but I wasn't doing so bad. I walked away with $80 and had a fun time playing. I now know my numbers to play at a roulette table.
Wednesday- We went to breakfast at the cafe in the hotel and ended up playing keno. We played 50 games for $5. I never realized how much fun it can be. Especially since it took about 5 hours for those 50 games to play. And because we got the keno channel in our room. We didn't win anything, but it was definitely fun to play and a game that I will play again when we go to Vegas in November for Thanksgiving. We left a little earlier than needed for our boat tour so we went to the lake and walked a little taking a few pictures of the scenery and each other. The boat tour was amazing and took us to Emerald Bay. It was very different seeing it that close up after seeing it from a helicopter. What amazing views and what amazing history.
Thursday- At this point we were ready to go home. We were supposed to leave Friday, but after discussing it, and after getting the "I miss you mommy" call from Isabel, we decided that it would be better to save the money and head home a day early. The original plan was to go to the Sacramento Zoo, but we quickly changed our minds and went straight home. It was an amazing trip and we definitely needed to get away just the two of us.
It's strange being back into our routine. We're married now. That's so weird to say. It's weird and fun to call Patrick my husband and it's weird and exciting to hear him call me his wife. We are both so happy that we are married, but it's a little bittersweet.
It doesn't really feel any different, to be honest. I mean, we've lived together for over a year and three months now. We've been engaged for 14 months. The only thing that's really changed is our titles, my name and the fact that it's recognized by the state of California. Other than that it just feels like it went too fast. The whole planning process, every step of it came and went in what seems like a blink of an eye. That is, until we get our pictures from our amazing photographer. Once those are sent to us, it's all over.
I looked at our contract today. It's only been 10 days since the wedding and I'm already jonesing for photos. They won't be in for 4-6 weeks..
They gave us one sneak peek at the wedding. It was during cocktail hour when Patrick and I had gone off to take pictures. The photographer took our picture, took a step back and asked our main photographer if he could show us the picture. She looked at it and said "Well you pretty much have to." He showed us. We saw one picture on the small screen of a camera. That's it. These photographers were worth every single penny we spent for that picture alone.
I text my mom today that it will be 4-6 weeks before the wedding and she was disappointed, but said "that's okay, it will give us time to save some money so we can order prints." I literally laughed out loud because it's so true. We are going to be spending a lot of money making prints and photobooks. I will be blogging about the wedding as soon as I get pictures (so there will be a wedding recap post in 4-6 weeks.) CVS, get your photo supplies ready.
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