Bridge Run 2010

I am really happy to report that today I did my first 10K and I survived! I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run with some friends and only decided to do it about 3 weeks ago. It was super cold this morning, did not feel like April in Charleston, more like December! I had on lots of layers and a cute 10K t-shirt I bought at Nike. Brandy and I ran it in 1 hour 15 minutes. Not bad for our first time and the crowd of 40,000 people slows you down a little bit too. I have learned some things for next year though.

1. Don't carbo load at Olive Garden, too much salt and you wake up feeling like a prune, have a potluck with people you run with.

2. If you're a nurse, give yourself an IV the day before to hydrate, who can drink that much water?

3. Put on powder and a little bronzer, you will be glad when you see the pics.

4. Don't underestimate the importance of a good mix, I couldn't get my mix onto my iphone and had to use Pandora, and barely had service. The song "Blue" from circa 2001 came on after a long music blackout and I actually listened to it. Not cool.

I also saw a grown man urinating off the bridge. How rude.

All in all, it was really fun and we celebrated with bloody mary's and oysters at Pearlz Oyster Bar. (Only in Charleston, would an after race meal consist of oysters!!)

Lots of photos of me wearing a green sweatshirt!

Here are some pics from this month!

Brewvival, a craft beerfest that Carl was all about. People were walking around with pretzels and bread around their neck!

Gabby's visit, sadly, we didn't take any pics except some of Gabby and Gibbs on the sofa. We vegged for 2 days straight. We did work out a little but the visit centered around food and fun. And by food I mean cheese and wine.

Then St. Patty's Day at Park Circle with great friends. We ended up on Daniel Island and over-served ourselves. But, I'm Irish, what can I tell you!?!

Lastly, here is a pic of me today with blonder hair after a 12 mile bike ride, roundtrip for pizza!

Spring!!

I have had great month! I am training for a 10K with Brandy, a friend from work. We just went and ran this morning and it was great to get the workout behind us. I am still losing weight but it has slowed down a little bit. I am hoping to get the last 5lbs off! I've started buying new workout clothes, which is the best part of working out and have discovered a company from Canada, Lululemon. Oh my gosh. Best workout pants. I have a pair of training pants that have mesh on the legs, perfect for running around Charleston in the spring. And they have a great sale section, since they run kinda steep and free shipping!

I was introduced to Lululemon when Gabby came for a visit at the beginning of the month. It doesn't seem like that long ago!

She came in on Friday and we went to a food and wine festival. We had great weather and ate and drank a little too much. But hey, it is a festival! The next couple days we just hung out, did a little shopping, eating, worked out! It was great to have her here and I was really happy to be the one to introduce Gabby to Twilight and Edward Cullen!

Other that that we celebrated St. Patty's day. We went to a block party on the 13th and then went out on the 17th. It was a great two days with friends and we got rained on both times, just like in Ireland!

Hope everything is great with you. I will def. post pictures of us after the run!

Jan/Feb

The weather has been chilly down here in Charleston! We moved down here to escape snow and bitter wind chills. I went to an oyster roast with some friends at the end of January. It started out way too cold but the temperature picked up and it actually was pretty pleasant, just muddy. So, muddy my car got stuck, after I freaked out a little, we put it in snow mode and pushed it right out. It was really only stuck for about 10 seconds!

The next weekend we had a super bowl party and had a great turnout, it was really fun and the Saints won, so I was happy! I got to catch up with some friends and neighbors we hadn't seen in a while.

Then, Valentine's Day was upon us, Carl was out of town and I worked but it snowed that Friday. I was really nervous driving over all the bridges in case they froze, but it wasn't too bad. The best friend and coworker anyone could have, Erin Brister, drove me in on Saturday and we only hit one touchy spot. The drive was gorgeous with all the snow on the trees and the snow banks on the rivers!

Here are some pics of the oyster roast and the snow. Erin Brister is pictured at the oyster roast!!

Feb 2010!!

I am very excited to say goodbye to January and say hello to February. January was not the best month, for those of you who don't know Carl and I were pregnant and had a miscarriage. I went in to a doctors appt. thinking I was almost 12 weeks and turns out, there was no heartbeat. It was a really hard time, Carl and I went from feeling so blessed and excited to completely heartbroken. My parents drove down the next day and were here for a few days which was wonderful and we had an outpouring of cards, emails, calls and flowers from family and friends.

I'm pleased to announce it has been around 3 weeks and we are doing much better. My faith and hope has returned and I am focusing on the positive. I have started dieting and doing yoga, I am really focused on being as healthy as I can. My stress level was really high in December and I think all these changes will help that. I believe and pray that we will be pregnant again and when our baby makes an appearance it will be loved and adored.

We are trying to enjoy all this time we have and our life in Charleston.

I went to an Oyster Roast and had so much fun. There was live music and it was pretty warm for most of the day. My new Toyota Highlander fit everyone and all our chairs and then got stuck in the mud!! I freaked out a little but I put it in snow mode and some Erin, Brandy and Erik gave it a little push and we were free!

This past weekend we had a super bowl party and lots of people came. Friends from work and neighbors. Carl and I were both rooting for the Saints so we were happy!

This weekend I am working and Carl is going to a bachelor party then more events lined up! Flogging Molly concert, Brewvival (a craft beerfest, Carl's fave) and then Gabby is coming for a visit.

So, thanks to everyone for all the kind words and thoughts. I really did feel lucky to have such support in such a sad time. I wasn't sure if I should blog about it but it is my life and these things do happen. Hope is isn't too cold where you are, and if it is, come to Charleston for a visit!! Lots of love!

weekend

Hi!

I can't believe the weekend is almost over. I worked on Friday then went to dinner with some friends. Work was busy the past couple days and I picked up overtime so it was nice to unwind. Lauren was in town so we all met her at 5 Loaves, really yummy food, I have never had anything bad! Lauren moved to Columbia this month to start anesthesia school, so she stays pretty busy, it was really fun to catch up with everyone. They all headed out to a bar afterwards but I went home, Carl had just gotten back into town from a business trip, so I gave him my leftovers and we turned in early.

Carl and I had a pretty good weekend, it was really rainy on Saturday but we went out and met some friends for the playoff games. Sunday was gorgeous and we got tons of errands done. On Tuesday we ended up buying a Toyota Highlander and I love it, love it, love it. All the extra space the Highlander has as opposed to my old car made errands much easier. I got to show it off to my friends on Friday but I posted some pics. We also organized the office on Saturday and moved tons of furniture so, here are some updates pics of the house.

Now, I am going to get ready for the work week. I just did a yoga video so I feel calm and relaxed and am going to enjoy the rest of my Sunday night. I think it will involve the Golden Globes and popcorn.

Hawaii Pics