Full Wedding Recaps with Lots of Pro Pictures

…are on my shiny, new blog!

From here on out, I am no longer The Fit Bride.  It’s been fun blogging about wedding planning, but I have no desire to blog about weddings anymore (except those I happen to incidentally attend in the course of living). I’m ready to get back to normal life, full speed ahead, as a happy newlywed.

My new blog, Brie Fit, will chronicle my journey as a newlywed as I train for the Chicago Marathon with Team in Training.  I hope you’ll follow me over there (or update your Google Reader)!

See you on the flip side, dudes!

Blackout!

Blogging from my iPhone in the middle of a blackout.  Yipes!

First official run of marathon training tonight.  3 miles in 28:15.  I could have been a little faster, but my throat’s been tickly and my neck’s been sore since Sunday from being all jumbled on a plane.

When I was running, my dad’s anthem while he was fighting leukemia (“I Believe” by Joe Satriani) came on while my iPod was shuffling over 1000 songs.  If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.  He’s got my back for this marathon thing.

I am off to rescue some melting ice cream from the freezer.

Question of the day: do you believe in signs?

(Photos: today’s eats and how to read Runner’s World during a blackout)

Live from the aisle

Two days to go!

Well, today was the day of final preparations for the wedding.  We have a little bit to do on Friday morning, but we should be done with everything by lunchtime, and the fun begins!

After we got done breakfasting/blogging at Panera, we went up to get our marriage license!  (I got sent back to the car to put my camera away.  Note: courthouses are not blogger friendly!)  Other than that, it was a pretty quick in-and-out kind of deal. 

We did a quick bathroom mirror picture with the license.  It’s (almost) official!

Then we went to pick up a last minute gift.  We can never figure out what to get my mom, so we wound up getting her a nice-sized gift card to her favorite clothing store as her “thank you” gift.  We are also getting both sets of parents wedding albums.  It’s not the most personal or sentimental gift, but she likes shopping, and she’ll use it.

We also picked up Tim’s tuxedo!

We went up to my mom’s apartment (she’s a sorority house mom) next.  She was in charge of the out-of-town boxes for our guests staying at hotels!  Aren’t they cute?

Inside, they have the brochure we made with travel information, two small water bottles, two packets of trail mix, two granola bars, two packets of M&Ms, two packages of crackers, and some Advil.  I love them!

Her room has also been taken over by wedding stuff.  That’s her bed under there!

 

For lunch, we went to Potbelly’s for sandwiches.  I love Potbelly’s, but they don’t have them in KC!   Boo.

 

After lunch, we went back to her room and arranged our stuff in boxes—things to go to the church, things that go to the rehearsal dinner, and things that go to the reception site.  This is the box of pictures for our family wedding photo table.  I’m really excited to see this all set up!

At 3 o’clock, we went to meet the pastor and go over the details of our wedding ceremony before the rehearsal tomorrow.

This will be my view on Saturday.

I can never get over how beautiful our ceremony location is.  Breathtaking.  Of course, I can’t take a photo of it to save my life, but it’s incredible and I always just gaze around like an idiot.  I love the stained glass and the lamps. 

 

THEN, we made the long drive back to my mom’s house in rush hour traffic.  We stopped at home for a bit, freshened up, and headed out to dinner with my bridesmaid (and bestie from when we were babies) Teresa and her husby, Marc.  One of the things I miss the most in Kansas City is having “couple friends” to go out to dinner with, so this was definitely a much-needed relaxing evening. 

After dinner…I had a minor freakout. You know when you can feel a zit coming on?  I panicked, ran to the Walgreens across the corner, and went crazy in the skincare aisle.

Please pray for my face.

Then, we waited around until 11 o’clock or so for my aunt to drop off our favors.  It’s a long story, but she picked them up for us.  

In each bag is two chocolate turtles (pecan/caramel/chocolate) and two delicious caramels.  YUM.

The plan for Friday?  We are dropping off the rest of the out-of-town boxes at the hotel where we have rooms blocked, then we’re dropping off all of our decorative frippery for the reception at the reception venue, and then we’re having lunch with my other bridesmaid, Lindsey, and her husband, Ricky, who are in all the way from Boston!  Then…rehearsal and rehearsal dinner time!

I’m not sure if I’ll be blogging tomorrow, so this may be my final post as a single woman!  Hooray!  See you on the other side!

Eat dirty.

It seems like the latest trend in dieting is Eating Clean.  Capital E, Capital C.

Disclaimer: I’ve read none of the Eat Clean books.  From what I understand, the plan seems pretty great–eat lots of complex carbs, veggies, fruits, legumes, organic dairy, et cetera.  All things I like.  I’m sure Tosca Reno is a nice lady.

(Source.)

But for the life of me, the phrase “Eat Clean” makes me want to go on a stabbing rampage.

Why?

Clean.  What’s the opposite of clean?  Dirty.  Dirty is bad, and shameful, and wrong, and lurks in vans with candy and chloroform.

My completely unscientific opinion is that women, especially those who are seeking out “diets” (the original book is entitled The Eat Clean Diet, so obviously, gonna attract dieters), are guilty enough about food.   We stash the ice cream under the bananas in the shopping cart.  We never clean our plates in public and compare our plates to the other women at the table.  If you’re like me, you raid the fridge when your significant other is away.  (Not anymore.  But I did.)

Calling it The Eat Clean Diet means that when you’re not eating the recommended foods, you’re dirty.  And bad.  And doing it wrong.  Hey, awesome, let’s throw another complex on the pile of women’s various psychological hang-ups!

Why do we need to place a qualifier on foods?  Good, bad, clean, dirty, healthy, unhealthy.  They’re all food.  There’s a time and place for all of them.  Even the Double Down.  Yes, we should eat more vegetables than Twinkies.  But should we skip the Twinkies altogether if we find them delicious and really enjoy them?  NO.

I also think that the “clean” versus “dirty” distinction smacks of…arrogance, maybe?   (Note: I’m not saying that people who eat clean are arrogant.)  What I AM saying, though, is that someone saying “I eat CLEAN” to me would automatically make me think “Yikes, I must eat DIRTY then” and feel all self-conscious and whatnot.   I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again–there is absolutely NOTHING dirty, wrong, or shameful about eating a slice of apple pie made with real butter, sugar, and apples.

My objection is this–do we need to go there?  Why can’t this be called “The Back to Basics Diet” or “Don’t Eat Things You Cannot Pronounce”?  What do we GAIN from these terms?

What do you think?

Podiatrist!

No April Fools’ jokes from me.  I am wholly uncreative.  Uh, I’m pregnant and becoming a vegetarian and quitting running?  There.

Today I spied a plate of macaroons in the break room, labeled with “Kosher for Passover macaroons, <1 Weight Watchers point each!”  I was sold.  It was yummy, but I like all things coconut so that’s not really a surprising verdict.

All day I was super duper excited about my podiatrist appointment.  Yes, I’m a freak.  I was far more excited about this than I was about my wedding dress appointment yesterday.  Does that say something?

I waited for awhile and took pictures with my phone.

Then the doctor came in.  I have never, ever had such a thorough doctor’s visit before.  I was actively being seen or x-rayed for a full hour!

First, he took a history.  I told him the sad tale of Blistersquatch.  I shyly admitted that I had brought an iPhone slideshow of blister photos, and he was SO EXCITED at how prepared I was.  He even turned off the lights to see them better!  I showed him pictures dating all the way back to September, and he asked questions and was really interested.  I then explained that I was starting to have trouble with my ankles, shins, calves, and knees.

At first, I wasn’t optimistic.  He started his speech out with something to the effect of, “Well, the human body wasn’t really designed to run really long distances.”   At which point I braced myself for the “stop running” I was sure would follow.

But no!  Instead, he proposed running a myriad of tests and me trying a myriad of new things!  In sum, here’s what he brought up.

• X-rays.  I was x-rayed in the office immediately and he read the results with me to make sure there weren’t any breaks or other skeletal issues.  He deemed my bones in good shape, although I have minor bunions on both feet, and pointed out my pronation in the x-rays. 
• Antiperspirant.  Cheap and easy.  Rub it all over my feet.
• A Doppler scan of my leg to make sure the knot in my right calf isn’t a blood clot.  (Scary!)
• Prescription anti-inflammatories.  This will help the pain in my leg muscles/tendons and knee, and also do something in case there is some kind of inflammation response in my feet causing the blistering.
• A PRESCRIPTION FOR CUSTOM ORTHOTICS.  Thank goodness.  AND, the guy who makes them is a runner!  I am going to get in ASAP for these. 
• A core biopsy of my skin.  I have another skin condition, as well as asthma, and apparently these can both relate to blistering.  We will do this if the other stuff doesn’t work, after the half marathon.
• Aqua jogging!  I’m hesitant to try this so close to my half, but I think it will be a good option for if things start to twinge afterwards.

I feel really great about these plans.  My doctor was VERY interested in my situation, listened to me, and did not once tell me to quit running.  He said that competitors are competitors, and he doesn’t want to stop me.

So, after dinner I’m going to go get my prescription for anti-inflammatories filled.  Tomorrow I’m going to (hopefully) go for the Doppler scan, and I’m going to call tomorrow morning for an orthotics appointment.

I am going to play it very, very conservative until the half.  I really don’t want to mess with anything.  I may try some running next week, but not unless I’m feeling 100% great beforehand. 

Also, more presents came today!

A chip and dip, a cake stand, and towels from Macy’s…

 

And our DYSON ANIMAL BALL from my sister!  I cannot wait to try this!

 

I also loved the notes our friends put in their gifts.  From the chip n’ dip and cake stand givers:

 

And from the giver of towels:

Our friends are funny.

Anyhoo, it’s such a relief to have a new, fresh plan of action from a competent medical professional. 

Here’s to healthy feet!

Hi from Chi!

Hi everyone!

I’m in my home state, enjoying all it has to offer (namely, friends, family, and giant Italian beef sandwiches). There are lots of surprises afoot for tonight and tomorrow and I’m being a good bride and keeping my nose out of them

Today, I have my hair and makeup trial, and then my downtown bachelorette party. All I know is we have a gorgeous downtown hotel room and are going out for tapas and sangria. Yum!

Full recap on Monday! Hope everybody is having a great weekend too!

Sunshine

I’m so happy to see the sun after our six inches of snow and slush this weekend.  Thankfully, pretty much everything is melted, and today was in the high 60s/low70s.  I walked to the gym in my tank top!  Can’t beat that.

I traveled a bit for work today, so I split my lunch up some.  I had a bagel thin sandwich in the car around 12:45, and a Greek yogurt pile when I got back to the office around 1:30.

See?  Sunny.

I snacked on a Clif Mojo PB&J bar before I hit the gym around 4:30 to get me through my run.  Who doesn’t like purple food?

These bars are always startlingly bright, but still delicious and reasonably wholesome.  And filling!  They have a fair amount of fat and protein, which helps keep me full longer.

I went to the gym today with a goal of beating yesterday’s 5 miles in 46:45.  I like to set stupid little goals, like beating my times, to help keep workouts interesting.  It’s one thing to run 5 miles after work, it’s totally another to kick Yesterday Brie’s butt.

Instead of starting out slow and aggressively speeding up, I started out faster today so I didn’t have to pick up my speed quite as much.  I started at a 9:30 mile for about half a mile to warm up, then held at a 9:22 mile for a little while, then chilled between 9:00-9:10 until mile 4, when I cranked it up to an 8:55 mile.

Total?  5 miles in 46:11, smashing Yesterday Brie to smithereens.  Hooray!

Oh, and I got an invitation to my second bridal shower today.  Whee!

In other news, I’m very sad to hear about the loss of Harvey, Ryan at Greens For Good’s cat.  So, here are some things I love about my animals, since I often take them for granted.

• If Buckley had thumbs, he would take over the world!  He is the smartest of our three animals, and can often be found making (well-planned, clever) mischief.  He likes to be near us (though not always touched) and always wants to know what’s going on.
• Southpaw is perhaps the sweetest cat I’ve ever known.  She is a pile of cuddles.  All she needs is food and love.  She loves Buckley and Milhouse, sunbeams and milk.  What she lacks in grace, she makes up for in heart.
• Milhouse is so easygoing.  He’s not barky or high-strung, and he doesn’t (usually) beg for food.  He’s content to lay on the couch and is great with kids, the cats, and other dogs.

Anyway, hug your loved ones (two- or four-legged) extra hard tonight.

Who do YOU love and why?

Let’s talk pain.

I get a lot of comments on the blog to the effect of “Oh my gosh, how can you walk/run/live on those things?” re: Blistersquatch and his various spawn.  So I figured I should talk about my pain philosophy as it relates to exercise.

(Source.)

On a very basic level, I believe there are three kinds of pain: good pain, neutral pain, and bad pain. Good pain (see also, soreness) is the way you feel after a tough workout, when your muscles are singing and letting you know they exist every time they twitch.  It hurts, yes, but it’s self-inflicted pain mixed with pride.  I work out through good pain, usually, because getting blood flowing helps make it better.  Bad pain is the totally unintentional pain that comes with injury and illness.  Bad pain cannot be worked through; working out through bad pain makes it worse.  When there is bad pain, I skip the gym.

I classify my blisters as the third type of pain: neutral.  They hurt, yes.  They are self-inflicted to the extent that I know my running will cause them, but I am too stubborn (stupid?) to stop.  When I run, after about a mile, the pain sensors in my feet just shut off and I don’t feel the sharp, stinging sensation I cringe at all day long.  But once I stop, they turn back on.  I can live with them, so long as they don’t get too horrible and the problem contains itself to blisters and doesn’t extend into other issues.  If I can contain the pain to blisters alone, I will be okay.  It’s my form of pain management.

I run through the pain of my blisters because I know that if I stop, I may not start again.  Me having crappy feet is not something that’s going to change miraculously any time soon.  At this point, I’m fairly convinced my feet will never be normal and this is something I’ll have to deal with forever.  I do my best–I watch closely for signs of infection and try to keep the area as clean as possible.   It’s a handicap, but I will work through it, and around it.  It will not get the best of me.

That said, even though this is neutral pain, it will occasionally (like it did yesterday) shift into bad pain, where I can tell that running on the blisters would cause an injury or be generally detrimental to my health.  I can tell if I’m rolling my foot funny or guarding a certain area.  Then I stay home.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m going to keep looking for a solution to this.  But it’s not an excuse to give up.  It’s an obstacle that sucks and for now I just have to deal with it.

There’s also sickness pain.  Personally, I follow the above-the-neck/below-the-neck theory with a period-related exception.  If my stomach is upset, or my lungs are stuffy with asthma, I won’t run.  If it’s a sniffly nose and a headache, I will.  The period exception, obviously, is that any PMS-related pain, unless completely debilitating, is not grounds for an unexcused rest day.  99% of the time, exercise makes me feel better: sweating gets my muscles loose and nasal passages clear.  I also feel better mentally, because if I stay home and mope about being sick, I feel even worse.

What’s your pain philosophy?

Out of town boxes

One idea I really like is the new concept of the out-of-towner bag/box.  Generally I’m not into random wedding things that cost money, unless they are something I really think my guests will like and benefit from.  I travel a fair amount for work, and I always love love love Holiday Inn Express because they often have water bottles and snacks waiting for me in my room.  So…we’re having out-of-town boxes.

Thankfully, this is a project where my mom took the bull by the horns and ran with it.  So, I’m doing virtually none of the work on this one!  Hooray.

She ordered white gable boxes online to start with.  For those of you who have no clue what a gable box is, this:

They are going to be wrapped with the same ribbon we used on our invitations, as well as our monogram.  So, basically, they will have a big belly band on them.

My mom’s also gotten the following things from Sam’s Club to put in them:

• 8 oz. bottles of water
• Trail mix
• Granola bars
• Small bags of M&Ms
• Pretzels
• Cheese and cracker sandwiches
• Advil

When all is said and done, they should look something like this:

Source.

I also drafted a brochure-type insert for the inside.  It has our contact information, the schedule of events for the weekend, and sights to see and things to eat in Chicago.  Like so:

What would you like to get in an out-of-town box as a wedding guest?