Thought I'd share some photos from my triathlon back in September. I know, September. It took me way too long to get these up. But here they are!
And as for the actual experience, it was amazing! I definitely recommend doing an all women triathlon for your first (of course, if you're a woman). Everyone was beyond supportive and made the day that much enjoyable. Plus, I had a wonderful support team cheering me on from the sidelines.
And, I beat my goal of 1 hour 45 minutes by 7 minutes 11 seconds!
The
Nourish girls ran along side me for the first stretch of the run
My wonderful Dad came to support
That's right! I'm now an engaged lady, and the luckiest and most blessed lady at that! So happy I get to marry my best friend!
This update is long overdue, but here it goes...
On October 18th, Chris and I, after exactly 21 months of dating, had the exciting opportunity for our families to meet for the first time. Chris' family lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia and had not been able to make the trip down to Florida until now. So, as soon as we knew they were planning a Disney trip (and of course trip to visit us!), we jumped at the opportunity to have the two fams unite.
Chris rented out the dock at our favorite restaurant, Hillstone (formerly Houston's), in Winter Park, Florida. I'd always dreamt of having a dinner on this dock, which is private from the rest of the restaurant and delicately adorned with white lights and linens against wooden chairs and tables. This evening and meeting only seemed appropriate for a dinner at this location.
As I was anxious all day about the meeting of our families, Chris seemed oddly composed and calm, reassuring me that everything was going to be fine. I also freaked a little at the fact that the weather forecast called for 100% chance of rain and torrential down pours much like those in a tropical storm. But still, he remained calm and even called to see if we could be switched to the covered outdoor seating just in case.
With that, I ran around all day at the prompting of gathering fresh flowers to make arrangements for the table in hopes that our night would not be rained out. And once to the dinner I felt calm and at ease since our families were getting along wonderfully.
Then, after dinner our plates were cleared and I noticed a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. It was one of our friends walking on to the dock. My first thought was, "Well that's random! What's the chance one of our friends would be walking on the dock and the exact time we were having dinner." And just then, I noticed about 30 of our closest friends quietly walking down together and surrounding us. I just sat there in shock and keep making random remarks like, "Hey guys, what are you all doing here?", while blushing profusely until it clicked and I realized what was happening.
I turned to look at Chris who was standing up and gesturing me to do the same. He started talking about how we first met and I accidentally showed up at the wrong door at his house (straight into this bedroom, awkward!) but how thankful he was that I walked through the wrong door and rightfully into his life. He went on to say how I make him a better man and I believe he said something about us being best friends (it was such a whirlwind I had a hard time concentrating on everything he was saying...good things for videos that were taken!). I glanced around and saw some of my best girl friends in full on tears, which made it so special that I had the most wonderful support system witnessing this moment. And then, he went down on one knee, pulled out the gorgeously, perfect ring and asked me if I would marry him. I think I responded with an excited, "Yes, of course!", and prompted him to put the ring on my finger.
Then all of our family and friends cheered and we got to spend the rest of the evening celebrating on a perfect evening, on the perfect dock and with the perfect man. Plus, God worked a miracle and it only drizzled for 5 minutes and was clear for the rest of the night; take that weather man!
So, that ladies and gents is our engagement story. My man did so well with coordinating everything and making it a moment that I will cherish forever. He. Did. Good. Well actually, he did more than good. It was perfection :)
Now that my favorite season, fall, has begun, I've decided to complete a Fall To-Do List. I haven't been the best at keeping up with regular posts, so here's to turning over a new leaf (no pun intended).
// Bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
// Learn how to knit
// Make homemade vanilla candles
// Carve a pumpkin
// Attend a wine tasting at a local vineyard
// Roast s'mores over a fire
// Have coffee with an old, but great friend
// Spend the day at a bookstore
// Watch the live premiere of a favorite fall show
// Decorate my home with Christmas lights
// Run a 5k
So, first things first! Here's my famous pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. These bad boys are addicting and taste almost like a cake crossed with a cookie. They even stay moist for up to a week...although I doubt they'll last that long once you try them!
I used the recipe
here, but this time around I substituted crushed pecans for the walnuts. Now, get to it!
So, I finally bit the bullet and signed up for my first triathlon a couple months ago and began training at the beginning of June. I can hardly believe I've been at this for over two months now. Even though a few weeks haven't been exactly what I've planned in the terms of sticking to my ridged plan, I have to say I am quite pleased with myself (and my body is giving me a big thank you as well).
This morning
Mijanne and I went out to
Lucky's Lake to tackle our first open water swim, and it turned out to be even better than we expected. The first length of the lake was a bit more challenging as we adapted to not being able to see anything but murky water below us and having to make sure we were staying on course. However, the trip back was smooth and we both got into a good rhythm as we completed the .62 mile swim. Lucky for us we now know we're more than capable of the half mile swim we'll be starting off with on race day.
The next couple weeks are going to be the most intense training as we prepare for the
Trek Triathlon in Clermont, Florida over Labor Day weekend. My schedule for the following two weeks will be looking a little like this:
Tuesday- Brick: Bike 50 mins & Run 25-30 mins
Wednesday- Bike 60-70 mins
Thursday- Swim drills 1600m
Saturday- Swim open water 1000m
Sunday- Mini Tri: 15 min Swim, 45 min Bike, 20 min Run
The week before the tri will be a mix of two easy 20 min runs, a 30 min bike and 10 min swim over the course of the week. And then, the big day on Sunday!
Keep a look out on here because I will make sure to do some updates on how the next couple weeks come along.
Quality, handmade leather products are hard to come by, but I found favor with the Etsy shop
HarLex when deciding to purchase a camera strap for my new Lumix GF2.
I could not have been more impressed with the level of customer service I was provided and the ease of the shipment from Hong Kong. Plus, they engraved my camera strap with initials of my choice, 'C & B'!
Not only do they make amazing leather camera straps, you can find laptop cases, purses, passport holders, luggage tags and more!
With my first experience going seamlessly, I could most definitely see myself purchasing more items from HarLex in the future.
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