St Paddy's Weekend

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I know the title of this post says it was St. Paddy's weekend. But really, screw that, it was MINE. I feel like I pretty much owned the weekend. For once, I actually got all almost all of my weekend goals done, plus I had a helluvalot of fun.

Friday night was pretty chill. We were gearing up for Chicago's St. Patrick's Day festivities the next morning, so we took it pretty easy. I did a Ballet Burn class at the gym, then we relaxed, watched some TV, and hit up the store for some last minute supplies (we were making breakfast and such for our neighbors in the AM). 

At about 10:30pm, after we'd gotten settled and put the groceries away, the doorbell rang. It was my dad and brother, who had gotten tickets for some of the Big 10 Games downtown, and decided to stop by afterward. Surprise!

The next morning, we got up bright and early. Like, 7:30am. That's early for a weekend... right? (Sidenote: My fiance always wakes up this early. Psh. Joke's on him!). I had prepped an overnight egg, bacon, and spinach bake the night before, so we popped that in the oven as we got ready.

 

Our neighbors came over and we promptly got down to business. We made bloody marys ("Very Spicy" V8 Juice, Pepper, "Liquid Smoke," 1.5oz Vodka, Grated Sharp Cheddar, cube Sharp cheddar, and a stick of bacon) and Mimosas (you know the drill). I'm pretty sure I was the only one drinking bloodies, which might be why it's the only drink I have a picture of.

Just before we left the apartment, around 9:15am, my fiance proposed a shot of Whiskey. In the name of the Irish, right? Blarney?

I'm awesome at Snap Chat. But not really.

We hopped on the bus that goes right in front of our apartment and headed over toward the Loop. We found a good spot overlooking the Chicago River and camped out to wait for the river to turn green.

It was mighty cold, even with the Whiskey blanket. As fate would have it, we were pretty much standing in the worst possible spot. The green color had gotten all the way to a bridge nearby, but we were just on the other side of it. So, instead of waiting for the color to get to us, we ducked out of the crowd and made our way to the other side, where The River Green awaited us.

Does it look green? Because it totally is. I'm a Chicago area native, but had never actually seen them dye the river, so naturally I was pumped to get a picture with the river behind us. My neighbors obliged and took the shot :)

From there, we went to a few bars. At the first bar, I was convinced I'd lost my green and gold earring. Turns out, it'd just fallen out on the ground next to our table. Over react much? Yes.

We moved on to O'Leary's, where we had green beer and Guinness. And where we saw this really old dude, celebrating in true style. But really... I couldn't figure out if he was hitting on that woman or not. Either way, I guess, props to him for being a fun guy.

At this point in in the day (probably between 12 and 1pm), we were in serious need of some more food. Bloodies/Mimosas, Whiskey shots, Vodka Sodas, and beer? Time for some food to get in these bellies. We hopped in a cab and went back to The Twisted Spoke, which is pretty much diagonal from our apartments.

This is the point in the day when my fiance started making faces in pictures. See above, and below. He looks super excited, eh? :)

Once we were seated, the epic stuffing of the faces began. I ordered something with a bunch of meat, which I wouldn't normally order, but it was delish. I think. After that morning, though, just about anything would be delicious.

After that, we headed back to our apartment, where I promptly decided to take a nap on the couch. I have a pretty great habit of putting myself to bed after a few drinks, so I took a solid 2 hour nap and woke up around 5 or 6 with a serious appetite. We made Nizzas (Naan Pizzas), drank lots of water and La Croix, and ate the rest of our egg bake over the next few hours.

Oh, and watched like a million episodes of Selling New York and House Hunters. This had me convinced that we were going to move to Rotterdam (???), so I spent about an hour looking up apartments. You may say I'm a dreamer...

The next day, we were both totally rejuvenated. We had a nice relaxing morning and ended up taking a 4(ish) mile run together, with the pup. Here we were, all suited up and ready for the run...

Is the (creepy) dog face awesome? She was trying to chew on her leash because we'd accidentally crossed it over her body and shoved it in her face. #oops

The day was really wonderful, and I felt like a total slap happy kid. I was running through the city of Chicago with my man and a pup with a huge grin on her face. It was the perfect temperature for this type of run, too -- we were definitely working hard (we both have heart rate monitors that indicated our heart rates were mostly between 150 and 165), but we weren't getting super sweaty. #Winning

Oh, and I should probably mention how happy this pup was about the run. Every time we passed people, they would smile at her or watch her trot on by. #thecutest

Post-run, we did more relaxing, hit up CostCo, and then did even more relaxing. Overall, this weekend left me feeling pretty darn awesome. We won.

Questions for YOU...

• Do you have any St. Patrick's Day traditions, or do you play it by ear?
• What's your favorite "running temperature?"

And now for that gratefulness:
Dear Chicago,
Thanks for making it so easy to celebrate St. Patrick's Day bright and early. It meant that I still had time to nap it off and enjoy the entire evening with my man. Best of both worlds, I do say.
Love,
Carly   

Wardrobe Malfunctions and Rest Days - WOTDs

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Last week, I was competing in a Hackathon at work (wrote about it slightly here), so my brain was all over the place. It was so hectic, between Hackathon stuff and Engagement Party stress, that I was pretty worried about my workout schedule. After all, I had to fit into a pretty tight dress. The stakes were high. Dun dun dunnn.

 

Everything ended up working out (hah, pun intended?), but not without some scheduling on my part. I can change my work schedule as long as I get stuff done, so Tuesday and Wednesday, I worked 7-330, and then 730-4 on Thursday. It was kind of brutal at first, but I ended up liking it so much that I'm doing it again this week. Lesson learned - the good kind! :)

WEDNESDAY: Upper Body Weights Routine (45min), Pilates (45min)
This is pretty much a Wednesday-Usual. But, I did arrive at the gym a bit earlier than normal, so I was able to do even more upper body weights than I typically do. Wedding shoulders, here I come!

I was running out of exercise clothes (my laundry is currently haunting me, but I still don't feel like doing it - why?), so I threw on some tight running/biking shorts with one of my fiance's plain white T's on top. This is a horrible outfit for running - but for lifting weights and yoga, it wasn't bad.

THURSDAY: 30 Minute Stairmaster, CXWORX (30min)
I got home from work and got ready to hit the gym with Justin. I decided to take it easier on my joints and did the Stairmaster for 30 minutes instead of running. Then, I did a CXWORX class that was pretty weird.

There was a girl in this class that was ME. Like, almost to a "T." She was the same height, same build, same dark0brown-hair-plopped-on-top-of-her-head. Same color eyes, same lack of makeup. We even stood next to each other and made some of the same faces in the mirror as we worked out (embarrassing? I think not!). She also had on an engagement ring. No wedding band. IS THIS AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE? Okay, probably not. But still, it was weird. In all of my distraction and pondering of The Matrix, I failed to snap a pic. #oops


FRIDAY: 45 Minute Run, Ballet Burn (45min)
I got to the gym in time for a 45 minute run before the Ballet Burn class I had really enjoyed the week before. I was honestly very excited for it. My run had gone well, and I was pretty pumped to "feel the burn," so to speak.

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. [Now begins the rant] Instead of the bubbly red headed instructor who was sweet as hell from the week before, we had a sub - a really harsh, loud drill sergeant. Good for Bootcamp? Probably. Good for Ballet? Hell no. This was honestly one of the worst classes of my life. Nothing was particularly difficult since we only did each move like 4-8 times before moving on. The real burn in ballet burn class is when you repeat a move until the muscle cramps... no cramps here. On top of that, her mic was up so loud that she was screaming at us. Like, I plugged my ears a few times. The entire class, I debated leaving, but felt too bad (people pleaser? yes) so I stuck it out. [Now ends the rant]

Ultimately, I'm just really grateful that I had built in time to go to the gym early for a run. I left work at 3, so I had more than enough time to squeeze it in before the 4:45 class. If I hadn't done that, I think I would have left the gym very discouraged.



SATURDAY: 4.5 Mile Run (40min), Cardio Boxing Circuit
In anticipation of the day's festivities, I squeezed in a solid 4 and a half mile run and a cardio boxing circuit before my hair appointment. I worked out in my parents' basement, which can occasionally be creepy because the treadmill faces away from the rest of the unfinished part of the basement (so, in theory, I couldn't see a serial killer come up behind me). Good thing there weren't any serial killers lounging around down there.



SUNDAY: Rest Up
I seriously needed a rest day after the Engagement Party. I ate almost a whole "White" pizza from our very favorite Coalfire, and Justin and I lounged around and watched the movie Couples Retreat. #WorthIt

MONDAY: Yep, still resting.
Between Daylight Savings and recovering from the party, my fiance and I both felt like H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks. So, we took another rest-day and finished watching Harry Potter. Yet again... #WorthIt

TUESDAY: Slow 9 Mile Run (took me like 1:40)
I honestly still felt like I was easing back into it yesterday. You would have thought I would be super fresh and energized after two days off... not the case. It's like I was injured or sick or something. My body is just tired.

I had a total wardrobe malfunction at the gym that ended up being totally humorous and awesome. Basically, I've been spoiled by the Nike running pants and capris that my fiance bought me. So, when those were dirty (remember that heaping, haunting pile of laundry? yeah... still growing), I grabbed another pair of yoga capris from my drawer and packed them for my run.

Proof that I'm spoiled now? Within two minutes of putting these other pants on, I was miserable. The seams on the inside of the pants were super itchy and I only got a few minutes on the treadmill before freaking out and hopping off. What's a girl to do? Head to the locker room and flip them inside-out. Yes, seriously. I borrowed scissors from the front desk to cut my tag off, then went on my merry way running on a treadmill with my pants on inside-out. #NoShame

Evidence of Tag-Cutting

WEDNESDAY: Full Body Weights, BBS
Today is actually going to shape up to be an atypical Wednesday workout. My brother is taking the train in from the suburbs (he's home from Ohio State for break). We're going to head to the gym from downtown, but I'm not planning to ditch him for Pilates, so we'll see what happens.

Questions:

• Any workout wardrobe malfunctions? How did you deal with it?
• How do you typically feel after taking rest-days?

And now for that gratefulness I've been practicing:
Dear God,
Thanks for helping me find humorous solutions to wardrobe malfunctions. Janet Jackson would be proud. It's all in the attitude, not the circumstances - thanks for the reminder.
Love, Carly

This is my confession...

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**5 bonus points of you read this post title and started singing the Usher Song about confessions in your head. Or the Foo Fighter's song, I guess. That one gets 3 points.**

I have a confession to make. Or maybe it's less "confession" and more "venting." Either way, here goes... I've been a total worrier as of late. This is pretty abnormal for adult me.

When I was younger, I used to be a worrier. I would agonize over silly things, like whether I would ever see a kid I met at Chuck E Cheese's again. Then, as I grew up, it turned into tossing and turning for hours in bed, worrying about whether I'd finished my homework, or whether I'd remember my script for a Mock Trial tournament. It wasn't until I really found God and became spiritual that I finally stopped worrying. I went from Sleepless in Seattle to Zzzzzzzzzzz'in in Zimbabwe.

I'm not having trouble sleeping... But lately, I am worrying. I keep feeling like I don't know what I'm doing. Wedding planning seems to be bringing out the insecurities in me (perhaps this is not a big surprise?).

For example, my parents recently threw us an Engagement Party. It was an amazing party... there were so many people I loved there and I was so happy to see them and introduce them to each other. But, a lot of people didn't seem know what an Engagement Party was (apparently this is not common knowledge? #oops), so I started getting paranoid that people would just assume I was just being a diva and wanted to be the center of attention, or that I was trying to squeeze them for gifts. [For the record: Not the case, at all - it was really important to us that all of our closest family and friends have some time to get to know each other BEFORE the wedding, so that was the purpose. But the point is, I still worried once I realized that some people didn't get it.]

I am also feeling worried about the people aspects of my wedding. Am I freaking out about center pieces or the fact that I haven't booked a caterer yet? No. Not even a little bit. It's all about the people for me. I'm a huge people pleaser and always want people to be happy with me. But, when it comes to planning a wedding, there is no way to please everyone. People all have different ideas and expectations. Some people want to help in some ways while others help in other ways. So it's pretty much a perfect storm for me to be worried about the feelings of the people around me. It's also a perfect storm for me to accidentally hurt someone's feelings, which is the worst part about it. I find myself worried about how people will feel, and whether or not the people around me are feeling appreciated.

What is going on? Is this normal? I think it is. Normal for wedding planning, at least. But, not normal for me. For a long time, I've been content and positive and grateful. So, this anxiety surge is pretty much feeding itself: not only do I feel anxious and upset, but then I feel anxious and upset ABOUT feeling anxious and upset. Will this go away? Aren't I supposed to be having the time of my life planning my wedding? Humph.

Watching "Friends" in the bedroom. Scandalous.

Solutions? Obviously, watching Friends and Harry Potter are in the mix. Those guys have comforted me through thick and thin, so they'll probably be playing in the background a lot in the upcoming weeks. Justin and I went through the first installment of Harry Potter on Sunday and Monday (he was bored? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?). But more seriously, I think focusing on gratitude and praying is helping.

Gratefulness: I think that a part of me started craving more gratitude exercises, and I started putting small gratefulness notes in the bottom of my posts this last week. I am trying to re-train my brain to be grateful not just for the obvious things, but for the tiny things too.

Praying: My fiance and I have been praying every day together. Sometimes we forget, but it's a great practice to be in. I also bought the book "Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldridge and have just started digging into that. It's reminding me to pull closer to God, and reminding me just how loving and playful He is.

QUESTIONS:

• Any other advice? 
• Books I should read? Things I should do? 
• If you tell me to hop up and down 32 times while patting my head and rubbing my tummy, I'll probably do it...

GRATEFULNESS (As promised):
Dear Blog,
Thank you for introducing me to readers and fellow bloggers who care enough to respond when a post is particularly honest or revealing. I've seen it on my blog, and on other blogs as well. It's awesome.
Love, Carly

WOTDs, Muller Yogurt, and Gratefulness

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Muller Greek Yogurt Corner in Caramelized Almonds

After my long runs this week, I refueled with the yogurt Muller (by Quaker) sent me to try out. It was definitely delicious, and had just the right ratio of creamy to crunchy. This was their "Greek Corner" product (they must know I love Greek Yogurt!) in the Caramelized Almond flavor. It rings in at 220 calories, with 13 grams of protein - exactly what my body needs after a long run! You can find more info on that particular one here.

Now, the workouts!

This week was full of variety. I generally make a plan and try to stick to it, but it's fair to say that I fly by the seat of my pants fairly frequently, so things tend to take their own form as time goes on.

Half-dead Following My Fiance Around The Gym

Wednesday
9.5 Mile Run, Abs Work

I totally skipped my favorite ever Pilates class on Wednesday, but let's be honest, after a 9.5 mile run, my body was just not into it. Some of you big fancy runners out there probably could have made it happen, but my body just isn't used to doing that much work in one day, so I skipped. Instead, I followed my fiance around the gym and timed him on my phone as he did his weights exercise. What a good soon-to-be-wifey, eh? :) I also squeezed some ab exercises in there, but that was all I could handle.

Thursday
Weights Work, Full Body

I focused on my upper body routine: shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, and upper back with free weights, then on machines. Then, moved down to abs on the ab crunch and ab rotator machines. Then, I topped it off with the leg press, leg extender, etc. You know, all those leg machines that are in a row at the gym. Whatever you call them... I did 'em.

Friday Before Ballet Burn

Friday
Ballet Burn

This was a first for me! I was cramming in a workout before mojitos and cuban food at Havana, so this class was perfect. It made me sweat, but not so much that I had to wash my hair (score). I was honestly really surprised that it was as difficult as it was! I was totally sore for two days. This being my first ever ballet workout class, I'm calling it a success!

Weights and Such for Ballet Burn Class

Saturday
8.5 Mile Run

Saturdays have sort of turned into my default long run days. I just end up with a bit of time to spare mid-day, so I've been trying to put it to good use. I was planning on making this another 9 mile run, but I started having some weird calf pain. It basically felt like my calf muscle was dead weight. So, not knowing what that meant and not wanting to injure myself, I pulled back to a walk for a few minutes to cool down and then hopped off the machine around 8.5.

During this run, I watched The Lucky One, with Zac Efron. I got through most of it but then finished it on my Tuesday run. It wasn't the best thing ever, but it was definitely emotional enough to keep me engaged during my run. Also... Zac Efron is pretty. And the kid in that movie is super cute. What's not to love, right?

Sunday
REST!

I almost didn't, but my fiance convinced me to have a rest day. I had blogger book club eating and drinking wine club that afternoon, and didn't find time to work out before it. When we got home around 5, it just seemed like a better idea to relax for a bit and then head over to Grandview Tavern for a bite to eat and a cocktail. I had a bowl of chili, a side salad that was delicious, and a vodka soda with extra lemon.


Monday
Body By Science (Weights), Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning

Monday morning, my fiance and I got up early to hit the gym for Body By Science. We do the whole routine together, taking turns so that we can both time each other (part of the workout is lifting continuously for 45seconds-2minutes).

After work, I had planned a recovery run to loosen up my muscles from Saturday. I was thinking something like a leisurely 3 mile run (not saying 3 miles is easy - just saying I had planned to do it at an easier pace), to get everything pumping and loosen up, but not put a ton of strain on my body.

Unfortunately, I got to the gym after work and realized I hadn't brought a sports bra. Who wants to do a 3 mile run in their underwire? Not me. So, I trekked home, stopped at the Green Grocer for some cilantro and avocados for dinner, and then did some Insanity. I used to do those DVDs religiously, so to speak. It was definitely hard going back to it, because my feet and lower legs weren't used to it. 

Watching "A Few Good Men" on the TV after my iPad died

Tuesday
9 Mile Run

So, the day after forgetting a sports bra, I arrived to the gym after work to find that, while I did indeed remember the bra, I had forgotten to charge my iPad. Is it a bad thing that this had me on the verge of a total melt down? I'm super workout ADHD, so the only thing that has been able to keep me on a treadmill for run longer than 3 miles is some serious on-demand entertainment. When my iPad only had 16%, I started freaking.

But then I told myself: It will last longer than you think. And, somehow, it did. I got through somewhere around 7 miles before it died and I switched to the TV attached to my treadmill, which turned into me watching one of the best parts of A Few Good Men. "These are the facts and they are undisputed." As a former pre-law-er and avid mock trial-er, gawd, I love that movie. No shame. 

Before the iPad died, though, I finished The Lucky One with Zac Effron. No tears were shed by me, but the characters sure cried a lot. Pretty sure the people around me thought I was watching a soap opera. Next, I watched an episode of The Mindy Project. The guy from Knocked Up was in it, and I find him hilarious.


Wednesday
Upper Body Weights & Pilates Class

Justin and I have plans tonight with our "Mentor" couple from pre-marital classes at church, so I'm aiming to not get sweaty this afternoon. After all, if I have to shower and get my hair wet, I'm a goner for the day (meaning I'll proceed with sopping wet hair and no makeup, looking like a cross between a five year old girl and a wet dog. lovely). 


GRATEFULNESS! 
Yesterday, I totally forgot to do my gratefulness exercise. Here goes:
 
Dear Sidewalk Snow that is Hard to Walk through,
I can feel you sneakily giving my calves a workout. Well played, winter. I probably needed that.
Love,
Carly