Monday, September 22, 2014
We have Twitter!
Andrew and I are now on Twitter together! In additional to our individual accounts (I'm @nessabegood and he's @215fitness), we have added @AndrewNVanessa. Why? We are making strides towards our wedding plans! Sure, some items are a little more critical like maybe an officiant, BUT our new account will allow our tech savvy guests to get play by play updates. We also offer witty commentary and maybe an occasional photo. What more can you ask for? Consider following us.
In our other wedding planning news, we have crossed off a few things from the list. We have a wedding website, a venue, a date, and we booked our fabulous photgraphers Wil and Gen of Reiner Photography. I can now be rest assured that pictures of whatever this amounts to will be fabulous.
Our list of to do's is extensive, but I am not pressured with practically a year to go, and other priorities on my mind like hello have you seen these shirts?
I am loving this and plan to make my own. It takes the guess work out of trying to remember when I use one or two e's. And with nearly a year to wear it I think I will get enough use out of it.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Our First Long Run
I feel like the recap of Andrew and I's first long run could also be an article on "How not to do a long run" or "How one poorly planned long run can lead to intense dehydration and heat exhaustion." The good news is we survived and neither of us went to the hospital! The bad news is, we had a horrible post workout.
So let me set the stage, it was one of the hottest days of August and intensely humid. Knowing this, we postponed our run an hour. Yeah... that made pretty much little to no difference in the conditions outside. We also did not hydrate well before our run. The day before we had been at the beach and the hours leading up to the run we maybe had 40-50 ounces each. Not a good recipe for a successful 13 miler.
Andrew set the course on map my run as usual, and the route had as pretty much running North East Philly from south to north, then west to east. I set the pace of our runs and knowing we had a long journey ahead and may be mentally out of our comfort zone I was pretty conservative. We started out great. When we were nearing the halfway point I felt like our slow starting pace really allowed me to get my second wind.
However, the heat was doing its work and by the time we were nearing a stretch of road near a Wawa I was scouring the ground for change to buy water. (Note to self: Always bring cash on long runs) Andrew and I settled for a bathroom break and some water to splash on our faces. Clearly we thought we were superheroes with incredible endurance to not take that as a sign we should head home.
We pressed on and by the last three-five mile stretch we were taking a lot of walking breaks. It was hard for me not to find an excuse not to stop. "Oh I have to change the playlist on my ipod." "We have to watch for that car going 10 mph a mile down the road." "Hill!" Still determined, we did more than a jog back the last 1000 yards or so until we got to the house.
Andrew could not get the door unlocked fast enough, first thing I did was sit down and remove shoes. My feet looked pretty massacred for the longest run I've done in my minimalist sneakers. I had blisters on the insides of my feet and the tops of several toes, not to mention the just throbbing pain. Nothing, however, was as driving as the thirst. And yet, as hot as I was, it was a struggle to drink a good amount of cold water. My body was just screaming for me to rest so in between swigs of room temp water Andrew and I managed to lie on the floor.
We felt terrible, not how you should feel after an amazing accomplishment like running nearly a half marathon. Our bodies were revolting on us, tired and most of all thirsty. I could barely eat more than a nice cold peach from the fridge and some saltines. I made myself get in the shower where I spent most of my time letting the water run on my sore muscles while trying to keep my very blistered and bleeding feet away from the water that felt like alcohol on an open wound.
We decided we couldn't do much more than go to bed. I drank a ton of water and despite it being 78 degrees in the house was bundled up in my winter robe. I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life, complete with nausea that eventually led to actual vomiting just before I settled in for the night.
We had all the signs of dehydration but luckily felt 100% better when we got up the next day. Now we've done our research and completed a successful 11 mile run with minimal recourse. I'll recap that one in the coming days. Consider this post a warning and lesson in what could go wrong without preparation, it definitely taught us a lot!
So let me set the stage, it was one of the hottest days of August and intensely humid. Knowing this, we postponed our run an hour. Yeah... that made pretty much little to no difference in the conditions outside. We also did not hydrate well before our run. The day before we had been at the beach and the hours leading up to the run we maybe had 40-50 ounces each. Not a good recipe for a successful 13 miler.
Andrew set the course on map my run as usual, and the route had as pretty much running North East Philly from south to north, then west to east. I set the pace of our runs and knowing we had a long journey ahead and may be mentally out of our comfort zone I was pretty conservative. We started out great. When we were nearing the halfway point I felt like our slow starting pace really allowed me to get my second wind.
However, the heat was doing its work and by the time we were nearing a stretch of road near a Wawa I was scouring the ground for change to buy water. (Note to self: Always bring cash on long runs) Andrew and I settled for a bathroom break and some water to splash on our faces. Clearly we thought we were superheroes with incredible endurance to not take that as a sign we should head home.
We pressed on and by the last three-five mile stretch we were taking a lot of walking breaks. It was hard for me not to find an excuse not to stop. "Oh I have to change the playlist on my ipod." "We have to watch for that car going 10 mph a mile down the road." "Hill!" Still determined, we did more than a jog back the last 1000 yards or so until we got to the house.
Andrew could not get the door unlocked fast enough, first thing I did was sit down and remove shoes. My feet looked pretty massacred for the longest run I've done in my minimalist sneakers. I had blisters on the insides of my feet and the tops of several toes, not to mention the just throbbing pain. Nothing, however, was as driving as the thirst. And yet, as hot as I was, it was a struggle to drink a good amount of cold water. My body was just screaming for me to rest so in between swigs of room temp water Andrew and I managed to lie on the floor.
We felt terrible, not how you should feel after an amazing accomplishment like running nearly a half marathon. Our bodies were revolting on us, tired and most of all thirsty. I could barely eat more than a nice cold peach from the fridge and some saltines. I made myself get in the shower where I spent most of my time letting the water run on my sore muscles while trying to keep my very blistered and bleeding feet away from the water that felt like alcohol on an open wound.
We decided we couldn't do much more than go to bed. I drank a ton of water and despite it being 78 degrees in the house was bundled up in my winter robe. I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life, complete with nausea that eventually led to actual vomiting just before I settled in for the night.
We had all the signs of dehydration but luckily felt 100% better when we got up the next day. Now we've done our research and completed a successful 11 mile run with minimal recourse. I'll recap that one in the coming days. Consider this post a warning and lesson in what could go wrong without preparation, it definitely taught us a lot!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Bicyle Built for Two
Yesterday the fiance and I had one of the best date days! We wanted to share with you because it's so inexpensive and healthy at the same time. We're lucky enough to live near one of the most beautiful Federal parks, Valley Forge. Neither of us were interested in working out that day, a combination of laziness and just lack of motivation after the weekend festivities.
I spontaneously mentioned bike riding, something we always said we wanted to do but haven't. Andrew agreed and knew the park rented them. The weather was perfect for riding so we dressed in workout gear and packed a change of clothes. We got our respective bike and rode away. I can't tell you the last time I had ridden a bike so there was an adjustment period.
After our initial hour long rental turned into several hours, we are both ready to invest in some bikes for some more date days. The just over eight mile bike ride we took over winding and hilly (sometimes dirt) trails earned us a delicious seafood dinner to cap off the date.
I highly recommend getting active with your loved one in a fun and leisurely way like bike riding, walking, or maybe even some adventurous rock climbing.
I spontaneously mentioned bike riding, something we always said we wanted to do but haven't. Andrew agreed and knew the park rented them. The weather was perfect for riding so we dressed in workout gear and packed a change of clothes. We got our respective bike and rode away. I can't tell you the last time I had ridden a bike so there was an adjustment period.
After our initial hour long rental turned into several hours, we are both ready to invest in some bikes for some more date days. The just over eight mile bike ride we took over winding and hilly (sometimes dirt) trails earned us a delicious seafood dinner to cap off the date.
I highly recommend getting active with your loved one in a fun and leisurely way like bike riding, walking, or maybe even some adventurous rock climbing.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Happy Mother's Day
This picture has been going around Facebook, and I love it. To all of those who have lost a mother, child, or mother figure, my heart goes out to you.
My heart also has a special place for women who don't have children, but mother anyway. It doesn't always take giving birth to love or mother a child. Happy Mother's Day to those of you who are a mom to someone!
God Bless my mother and all of you who are mothers. Hope you have a blessed day.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Our New Journey
It was a Saturday like any other, all things considered, but A decided it was going to be a day about me. I protested at first, oh yes I can be a pain sometimes, but then I realized it was pointless and kind of rude to A who was so excited.
I was awoken to a dozen red roses framed by baby's breath, my favorite arrangement for sure. The sun was shining on this April 26th morning with a slight chill in it's breeze. I wore a light jacket as we left to our first destination.
A rewarding thrift shopping experience at Habitat for Humanity left us a water bottle richer emblazoned with "MUSE The 2nd Law" on it's front, a nice memento for our first concert together. With our stomachs rumbling we headed to our second destination Sancho Pistola's for an amazing brunch with bottomless mimosas, margaritas, and bloody Marys.
He had the huevos rancheros, I had the eggs benedicto and we drank (naturally) as we chatted with our waiter. Watching silent cartoons on the big screen and laughing, we held hands and stared into eachother's eyes. We talked about how we got here, together. How grateful I was that I told him how I felt, and how grateful he was that it was reciprocated. We are blessed.
An hour later and delightfully buzzed (me), we headed to Circle Thrift at my prodding. I tried on clothes and browsed every rack, but we left with an armful of puzzles and board games; see where our priorities lie.
We discussed cupcakes and treats as we drove back home in our car, neither of us resolute in our weakness for a sugar high. We arrived and something kept me behind while A was busy in the living room. He called me in, "Sit right there," he perched me on the edge of our ottoman.
I sat, oblivious, and staring at the TV screen cued up with a picture of us on one of our first dates. The slideshow played and the crooning of Jon Legend's "All of Me" (our latest ode to each other) flowed through the speakers.
I laughed at all the familiar memories a Kool-Aid grin plastered on my face. I saw him move behind me and I briefly looked at him as he pointed back at the screen and the slideshow arrived at it's finale. "Will You Marry Me?" in white letters on a black screen.
I turned quickly back to A, now getting on one knee and holding out a ring, "Well?" he asked. I quickly said "Yes!" probably nodding like a fool, I can't remember. He placed the ring on my finger, beautiful, shining, and a perfect fit and the tears rushed out of my eyes. I sobbed with joy and we hugged and kissed.
This is the moment where our time together thus far came to it's first joyful fruition. I was humbled and overjoyed and at peace. Here begins a new journey together. Cheers!
I was awoken to a dozen red roses framed by baby's breath, my favorite arrangement for sure. The sun was shining on this April 26th morning with a slight chill in it's breeze. I wore a light jacket as we left to our first destination.
A rewarding thrift shopping experience at Habitat for Humanity left us a water bottle richer emblazoned with "MUSE The 2nd Law" on it's front, a nice memento for our first concert together. With our stomachs rumbling we headed to our second destination Sancho Pistola's for an amazing brunch with bottomless mimosas, margaritas, and bloody Marys.
He had the huevos rancheros, I had the eggs benedicto and we drank (naturally) as we chatted with our waiter. Watching silent cartoons on the big screen and laughing, we held hands and stared into eachother's eyes. We talked about how we got here, together. How grateful I was that I told him how I felt, and how grateful he was that it was reciprocated. We are blessed.
An hour later and delightfully buzzed (me), we headed to Circle Thrift at my prodding. I tried on clothes and browsed every rack, but we left with an armful of puzzles and board games; see where our priorities lie.
We discussed cupcakes and treats as we drove back home in our car, neither of us resolute in our weakness for a sugar high. We arrived and something kept me behind while A was busy in the living room. He called me in, "Sit right there," he perched me on the edge of our ottoman.
I sat, oblivious, and staring at the TV screen cued up with a picture of us on one of our first dates. The slideshow played and the crooning of Jon Legend's "All of Me" (our latest ode to each other) flowed through the speakers.
I laughed at all the familiar memories a Kool-Aid grin plastered on my face. I saw him move behind me and I briefly looked at him as he pointed back at the screen and the slideshow arrived at it's finale. "Will You Marry Me?" in white letters on a black screen.
I turned quickly back to A, now getting on one knee and holding out a ring, "Well?" he asked. I quickly said "Yes!" probably nodding like a fool, I can't remember. He placed the ring on my finger, beautiful, shining, and a perfect fit and the tears rushed out of my eyes. I sobbed with joy and we hugged and kissed.
This is the moment where our time together thus far came to it's first joyful fruition. I was humbled and overjoyed and at peace. Here begins a new journey together. Cheers!
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