Pre-Marital Counseling

Miles today: 3.0

Miles this week: 9.2

Miles in 2010: 225.7

Gregg and I have been meeting with our marriage whiz every other week since January to talk about getting married. We filled out individual surveys back when we got engaged and when we meet with Anne, we talk about how our surveys match up together and what areas may need to be double-checked.

I really super duper enjoy our time with Anne and the time we spend together at counseling. I think it's mostly because we get to talk about things that aren't always easy to find. I love hearing stories from Anne about her family and how she and her husband Chris have done things to raise a family that has what seems like a great relationship. I love learning new things about Gregg and hearing him explain how he works and why he is the way he is. I just can't wait to marry him.

I know, I know...you're throwing up, right?

Well, it's just that I enjoy being around Gregg so much and am exited that I get to spend the rest of my life with him. He's my very best friend and my favorite man in the whole world.

But what this really is about is the fact that after work, and after our 6:15pm meeting with Anne, as we left the spiritual life building at Lynchburg College, Gregg offered,

Wanna go for a run? I brought my stuff.

You know, it's the littlest things, but can I just say that those two sentences made my tummy do flips?

I LOVE when Gregg plans to run with me and surprises me. It's the best feeling. I know he cares. And I love it. He has probably already run a hundred miles that day, but he'll still run with me.

We ran from the track at LC, across campus to Vernon Street, left on Langhorne, right on Eldon, right on Memorial, and right on some street I don't know which eventually crossed Sussex and turned into McCausland, then a right on College, and a left back across campus to the track to finish up three miles. It was warmer out and felt easy and refreshing. Great three miles with my lover boy.

To have and to hold from this day forward...

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 20.5

Miles in 2010: 216.5

Gregg and I drove to Luray last night to visit our friends Paul and Wendy and their kids Raegan and Davey. We didn't get to leave town until almost 8:00 because of my run after work, which put us in Luray around 10:30pm. Paul and Wendy are super kind and gracious and Paul was waiting in the car with Raegan when we pulled up to their road so he could drive us through the pot holes and trenches created by the plows from all the winter snow.

When we got to their house, a few of Gregg's other college friends were there too, so we stayed up late talking and catching up.

The whole reason for the trip was to visit Paul's dad, David, who is a pastor at a little church in Chester Gap, to ask him to marry us in July.

This morning, we went to Pastor Dave's church with Paul, Wendy, the kids, and Jeff...and then afterwards went back to Paul's parents' house for lunch. Paul and his family are originally from England, which gives them some old English traditions...it was fun to be at his parents' house because there are little figurines of Big Ben and the Tower Bridge around the house.

For lunch, I experienced my first Yorkshire Pudding (not pudding at all, but actually a kind of bread). It was so good...I even got the recipe from Paul's mum. After lunch and dessert (tapioca pudding and carrot cake), we asked Paul's dad to marry us. It was so cute because he took us downstairs to his office, pulled out his manilla "wedding" folder and gave us a few papers with diagrams about where you stand in the ceremony and the order of the ceremony...and then went over the ceremony with us...each little detail, including the parts..."to have and to hold from this day forward...". It was very sweet and Gregg and I are really happy that he agreed to marry us. He and his wife will just be getting back from England on July 8th, so he'll come down to Lynchburg on the 9th to do the rehearsal and then stay the night for Saturday and the wedding!

We had a great trip, and we spent the rest of the afternoon with Paul and Wendy and the kids...stopped by Jeff's house to drop him off after lunch, got a tour of his house, and then went back to the Johnsons to watch America vs. Canada Olympic hockey (boo!).

We had aimed to run while we were in Luray today, but it just didn't happen, so we didn't run until 10:00 when we got home. We were both tired, so I just offered myself the neighborhood mile...a little rest for a busy weekend.

Gatorade & ODACS

Miles today: 4.18
Miles this week: 14.2
Miles in 2010: 210.2

I find it mildly entertaining that the top nutrition supplement on my poll was Gatorade and that today Gatorade pulled it's sponsorship with Tiger. I know I shouldn't be amused, because he probably really does have a problem...but I'm kind of glad that he's losing his sponsorships because I really do think Tiger doesn't deserve any special attention or role model privileges anymore.

Is that wrong of me?

I know it's controversial...but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm getting married in four months and I just wish that people like Tiger who are so much in the public's eye would be better role models in their marriages. It makes me very sad for his family. That's all I have to say about that. Sorry for ranting.

PS: my absolute favorite flavor of Gatorade now is Blueberry Pomegranate G2...and even though it turns my mouth blue, I kind of can't get enough of it.

More importantly, tonight after work, I headed over to LU to watch the conference championship meet for the ODAC. I hadn't run yet, so after I watched some of the later events, I suited up and ran over to the track, ran three miles, and then ran back to catch the end of the 5k. My run felt good...it was kind of nice to run on the track...better than all the asphalt miles I've been putting in and of course felt pretty fast.

I helped Gregg analyze some of the 5k results with FinishLynx and then watched Lynchburg College win the men's and women's 4x4 relay at the end of the meet. It was enough to put LC's men on top to win the conference meet, but only put LC's women in second place...losing by just TWO points. Ugh!

Overall, Lynchburg College did very well...including my boy Ricky Flynn winning the mile. Great meet...great results.

a much needed day off

Miles today: 5.54

Miles this week: 10.7

Miles in 2010: 157.3

today I had the day off from the store. I worked six days in a row last week and put in almost 50 hours (on top of the fact that I'm running everyday)...so you can imagine I needed a day off besides Sunday.

anyway...I started off the day by waking up early and eating Pillsbury cream cheese cinnmon rolls (get coupons here) that Gregg made. he's the best for making breakfast for me in the morning.

I fell back asleep and woke up an hour later and spent an ungodly amount of time surfing Facebook and my favorite blogs...but that's okay, because it was my day off.

Headed out to yoga at noon and had a super class with Christine. Yoga is very relaxing and invigorating.

I. LOVE. YOGA.

Since it was my day off, I felt like I wanted to do things I never get to do, so I headed to the J. Crew outlet store in Wyndhurst and did a little shopping. They were having a 30% off sale (which ends Saturday, February 13)...where I found a few great deals, including a mint green wool scarf for $11.50. yipee! and a very fabulous necklace (seen below). I don't know when I will wear this, but I'm pretty pumped about my necklace.

After my J. Crew trip, I went to Chick-fil-a for a free chicken sandwich (via coupon) for lunch. I know, you're probably thinking that I don't eat very healthy, but I usually do, and this was just my day off, so it was like a special treat.

I stopped by the mall after lunch and found a cute pair of Nine West flats for $20 from Macy's...for which I had a gift card, so I didn't pay anything at all!

After the trip to the mall, I had to go pick up Gregg at work for our 2nd pre-marital counseling sesh with Anne at Lynchburg College. I can't tell you how much I absolutely love going to see Anne. She's really good for Gregg and I. She has excellent things to say, is a super listener, and gives us both insight into how each other functions as people...it's funny what we learn about each other at our meetings. I love the time we spend there.

Finally, around 6:30, I got my run in. Gregg and I met Jeff at the Starbucks in Boonsboro and did a 5 point something mile loop around the neighborhood behind Old Boonsboro Road and out Peakland and back. It was a solid run...super cold, and mostly icy (i.e. dangerous), but a good run nonetheless.

After the run, Jeff came over and lifted in the basement gym. I had to give Gregg and Jeff a few pointers about their weight lifting...unfortunately, they still have old ways of doing things from the 80s and 90s...so after muscle-girl Heather got through with those two knuckleheads, they had improved on form and technique.

I'm probably going to be sore tomorrow from all this activity...but it's good for me and I'm not pushing too hard, so that's okay.

See you on the run!