I knew that when I joined Bally, I would have a hard time staying motivated after a few months. I’m not a huge fan of working out. I like doing things that are fun first, and then good exercise second, like dancing, walking, rollerblading and swimming. Also, it helps if I’m good at it.
Truth is, I have not been to the gym three times in one week since the end of March. And while I do have a bit of an excuse – sickness, vacations, visitors. It’s painfully obvious that I have not been losing weight and been eating like, um, I’m on vacation. My lack of motivation, mixed with events that conveniently get in the way of my routine has made me lazy and lowered my self-esteem because of it.
Case in point – last week: I usually do kickboxing on Mondays and swim Wednesdays and Fridays. Since it’s no longer a frozen tundra outside, I have also taken to walking the two miles to my house from work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last week I did go to kickboxing and walked home on Tuesday. But, my Fiancé, friend and I went to see Billy Elliot on Wednesday, my boyfriend picked me up from work on Thursday, and we had dinner at our friends’ house on Friday (however, I did manage to walk home that day). Since it rained outside all weekend, I only left the house to get groceries, and did nothing in the way of exercise all weekend.
This week, to my knowledge, I have nothing planned during the week. I have decided it’s going to be the week to kick my butt back into the routine. Healthy eating, and just less eating in general, needs to be on the agenda too. Not only do I have the summer weather to get thinner for, but I also have a wedding in the distant – but not too distant - future (we’re thinking next August).
SO – here is to getting back into the routine, feeling better, looking better and being healthier for all that lies ahead.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Seeing the Windy City Sights
As I watched my cousin and her fiancé, Daniel, walk through the doors for Midway Airport to the terminal, I felt myself getting a little homesick for the west coast and for my family. In the four short days that they had been in our apartment in Chicago, I had grown every attached to having them around to explore the city with.
And explore we did! They arrived from Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, so we decided to put their 3-day train passes to good use and take them to Lou Malnatti’s pizza so they could have true authentic deep dish. We spend the rest of the night chatting and catching up before we went to bed to get ready for the weekend.
It’s amazing all of the sights and places that we crammed into their visit. Saturday was brunch and Ann Sather’s (excellent), a trip to Wrigleyville to see the Cub’s stadium, a walk from our apartment on Division to Navy Pier, the Ferris Wheel, vodka snow cones, a trip down the Mag Mile, dinner at Old Town Pub and then lots of board games and booze at Guthrie’s in Lakeview. So many Yelp reviews to write, so little time!
Sunday was a little more laid back; we hung out at the apartment for a while and watched WAY too much food network, because when we finally did go out the door, we were craving the Mac and Cheese dish we just saw. We drove them to the Sears…oh, excuse me…Willis Tower, down to Steve’s school on the south side, the United Center and then to Dominick’s where we picked up the ingredients to make Mac and Cheese. It was good, if we do say so ourselves! We then took a quick drive to Lincoln Park for Molly’s Cupcakes and Red Mango. A VERY sweet way to end the weekend indeed!
On Monday, I worked a half day, and when I arrived back home at noon, we went for some lunch at Corner Bakery and then headed down to the Museum of Science and Industry. We looked at the U-boat, the coalmine and explored storms, trains and planes. When Steve got out of school at 6:00, we headed to the Mity Nice grill for dinner, then up to the John Hancock lounge for some spendy drinks! The view, though, was SO worth it.
Tuesday was the day they were leaving, but I took another half day and we managed to squeeze in some Italian beef from Five Faces Ice Cream on Division, and then a quick trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the wolves, bears, lions and monkeys. I was so sad when I finally dropped them off at the airport at 5:00 that afternoon. I wished so much that we lived closer to each other so we could hang out more often than a few times a year. Perhaps one day, that will happen. It meant so very much for them to come all the way to see me and the city.
Overall, it was a wonderfully exhausting weekend. It’s odd to have such and empty house. Now, I guess, it’s back to reality. With all the trips and visits, my gym attendance has gone WAY down and my diet has been awful (but SO yummy). It’s time to get back on routine to be ready for summer and get prepared for all the adventures yet to be scheduled!
And explore we did! They arrived from Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, so we decided to put their 3-day train passes to good use and take them to Lou Malnatti’s pizza so they could have true authentic deep dish. We spend the rest of the night chatting and catching up before we went to bed to get ready for the weekend.
It’s amazing all of the sights and places that we crammed into their visit. Saturday was brunch and Ann Sather’s (excellent), a trip to Wrigleyville to see the Cub’s stadium, a walk from our apartment on Division to Navy Pier, the Ferris Wheel, vodka snow cones, a trip down the Mag Mile, dinner at Old Town Pub and then lots of board games and booze at Guthrie’s in Lakeview. So many Yelp reviews to write, so little time!
Sunday was a little more laid back; we hung out at the apartment for a while and watched WAY too much food network, because when we finally did go out the door, we were craving the Mac and Cheese dish we just saw. We drove them to the Sears…oh, excuse me…Willis Tower, down to Steve’s school on the south side, the United Center and then to Dominick’s where we picked up the ingredients to make Mac and Cheese. It was good, if we do say so ourselves! We then took a quick drive to Lincoln Park for Molly’s Cupcakes and Red Mango. A VERY sweet way to end the weekend indeed!
On Monday, I worked a half day, and when I arrived back home at noon, we went for some lunch at Corner Bakery and then headed down to the Museum of Science and Industry. We looked at the U-boat, the coalmine and explored storms, trains and planes. When Steve got out of school at 6:00, we headed to the Mity Nice grill for dinner, then up to the John Hancock lounge for some spendy drinks! The view, though, was SO worth it.
Tuesday was the day they were leaving, but I took another half day and we managed to squeeze in some Italian beef from Five Faces Ice Cream on Division, and then a quick trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the wolves, bears, lions and monkeys. I was so sad when I finally dropped them off at the airport at 5:00 that afternoon. I wished so much that we lived closer to each other so we could hang out more often than a few times a year. Perhaps one day, that will happen. It meant so very much for them to come all the way to see me and the city.
Overall, it was a wonderfully exhausting weekend. It’s odd to have such and empty house. Now, I guess, it’s back to reality. With all the trips and visits, my gym attendance has gone WAY down and my diet has been awful (but SO yummy). It’s time to get back on routine to be ready for summer and get prepared for all the adventures yet to be scheduled!
Friday, April 2, 2010
In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of... There's nothing you can't do...
Day 3 – Saturday, March 27th:
We didn’t really have any reason to get up early Saturday morning, so I slept in until about 9:00 and Steve again got out of bed an hour later or so. We went to this amazing little diner called Madison’s and had some of the best French Toast of our lives. I was still bummed from the day before that I begged Steve to go back to Battery Park to see if we could hop on a tour to Liberty Island. He agreed and we bought a Subway ticket and rode the E train down to Battery Park. When we got there, there was a HUGE line stemming from the ferries. I knew that was not a good sign. Upon asking at the ticket counter, we found out that it would be two hours to get on a ferry. I wanted to see the Statue, but I didn’t want to waste our entire day in line. So, still disappointed, we bagged it and headed back to downtown on the Subway.
We got off at Grand Central, and then walked to Rockefeller Center, where we bought tickets to go about 70 stories up to “The Top of the Rock.” We took some great pictures of the city below, and tried to catch a glimpse of any famous TV stars. No luck. After we went down, we walked around and located the New York office of Steve’s future employer: Ropes and Gray. We then headed to central park, but not before stopping to grab some Pinkberry. Central Park was gorgeous. It is the oddest thing to see such a huge, lush park in the middle of a big city. There are tons of fountains, lakes vegetation, and street performers. We walked to Strawberry Fields and then up to Belvedere Castle and took tons of pics along the way.
We had decided to get and early dinner of New York Pizza down at a place that our bus tour guide recommended the day before. It was called John's of Bleeker Street and it was actually right next to Rocco’s in Greenwich Village. After walking back downtown to check to see if the ticket booth under the red stairs was packed (it was), we rode the train down and ordered some yummy NY pizza. I still think Chicago’s Deep Dish takes the prize, but I can see how New Yorkers think their thin crust is the best. We did some souvenir shopping and then headed back up to our hotel on the train to take a rest before going out later.
We wanted to watch the NCAA games that were playing, so we chose a neighborhood bar called the Stag’s Head to watch them in. It was really low key and the drinks were pretty good. We also got some raspberry chocolate cake for dessert! Now, I realize that NY has a ton of bars and clubs to go out in, but Steve and I are kind of low-key and we weren’t really ready to go to the hotel yet after the game. So, we decided to go and see a movie! We took a cab to the nearest theater and watch How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. It was a silly way to spend a late night it NY, but we had a blast and the movie was so good! After it was over, we headed to the hotel in cab and went to bed to prepare for our last day.
Day 4 – Sunday, March 28th:
Our plane didn’t leave until 8:00 pm on Sunday night, so we honestly had another full day to explore the city. We had breakfast in our hotel at the Top of the Tower. The appearance of the restaurant was not that great, but I did enjoy my goat cheese omelet and it was convenient. I had been brainstorming since Saturday how we could see the Statue of Liberty up close, and after looking around a bit in the business center (which didn’t work very well) at the hotel, I had found a two-hour harbor cruise at 1:00 pm that went right next to both Liberty island and Ellis Island! Steve was game, so we cabbed it to the Circle Line boat tour on the piers at the west side of the city. We were early, so we had no problem getting tickets or a seat next to the window. It was raining that day, so an indoor boat tour was really the best way to spend our time. Our tour guide was fun and had lots of great information. When we sailed by the statue, I headed outside to stand in the rain and proceeded to take tons of pics of the Statue. I could see her beautiful green color and look right into her eyes. I loved it and both Steve and I were SO glad that we decided to go on the tour.
After we got off the boat, we grabbed a cab back to our hotel and had some lunch at Nations café. This was honestly the worse part of the trip. The service wasn’t good and the turkey sandwich that I ordered was literally bread, dry turkey and lettuce. No dressings (I had to ask for mustard) and no pizzazz. I was not impressed. The Manhattan chowder was average too. Oh well, it was food and it was fast. It wasn't quite time to go, so we headed up the street to Pinkberry for some dessert. We reflected on the awesome trip and could see ourselves living here for a few years maybe someday....maybe. :) We walked back to the hotel and our car service that had been arranged to take us to the airport was there. We had stored our luggage after we checked out that morning, so we grabbed it and were wisked to the airport. Our driver didn't speak a word of English and he took some bizarre back roads, but we got there in plenty of time. Good thing too...because we were actually dropped off at the wrong terminal and had to take the bus to where we were supposed to be!
As we flew out of La Guardia, we were so tired but so happy and excited about all that we had seen and done. We had fairly nice weather the entire trip and did most everything that we had set out to do. I can’t wait until we can go back again! It was truly a trip to remember.
We didn’t really have any reason to get up early Saturday morning, so I slept in until about 9:00 and Steve again got out of bed an hour later or so. We went to this amazing little diner called Madison’s and had some of the best French Toast of our lives. I was still bummed from the day before that I begged Steve to go back to Battery Park to see if we could hop on a tour to Liberty Island. He agreed and we bought a Subway ticket and rode the E train down to Battery Park. When we got there, there was a HUGE line stemming from the ferries. I knew that was not a good sign. Upon asking at the ticket counter, we found out that it would be two hours to get on a ferry. I wanted to see the Statue, but I didn’t want to waste our entire day in line. So, still disappointed, we bagged it and headed back to downtown on the Subway.
We got off at Grand Central, and then walked to Rockefeller Center, where we bought tickets to go about 70 stories up to “The Top of the Rock.” We took some great pictures of the city below, and tried to catch a glimpse of any famous TV stars. No luck. After we went down, we walked around and located the New York office of Steve’s future employer: Ropes and Gray. We then headed to central park, but not before stopping to grab some Pinkberry. Central Park was gorgeous. It is the oddest thing to see such a huge, lush park in the middle of a big city. There are tons of fountains, lakes vegetation, and street performers. We walked to Strawberry Fields and then up to Belvedere Castle and took tons of pics along the way.
We had decided to get and early dinner of New York Pizza down at a place that our bus tour guide recommended the day before. It was called John's of Bleeker Street and it was actually right next to Rocco’s in Greenwich Village. After walking back downtown to check to see if the ticket booth under the red stairs was packed (it was), we rode the train down and ordered some yummy NY pizza. I still think Chicago’s Deep Dish takes the prize, but I can see how New Yorkers think their thin crust is the best. We did some souvenir shopping and then headed back up to our hotel on the train to take a rest before going out later.
We wanted to watch the NCAA games that were playing, so we chose a neighborhood bar called the Stag’s Head to watch them in. It was really low key and the drinks were pretty good. We also got some raspberry chocolate cake for dessert! Now, I realize that NY has a ton of bars and clubs to go out in, but Steve and I are kind of low-key and we weren’t really ready to go to the hotel yet after the game. So, we decided to go and see a movie! We took a cab to the nearest theater and watch How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. It was a silly way to spend a late night it NY, but we had a blast and the movie was so good! After it was over, we headed to the hotel in cab and went to bed to prepare for our last day.
Day 4 – Sunday, March 28th:
Our plane didn’t leave until 8:00 pm on Sunday night, so we honestly had another full day to explore the city. We had breakfast in our hotel at the Top of the Tower. The appearance of the restaurant was not that great, but I did enjoy my goat cheese omelet and it was convenient. I had been brainstorming since Saturday how we could see the Statue of Liberty up close, and after looking around a bit in the business center (which didn’t work very well) at the hotel, I had found a two-hour harbor cruise at 1:00 pm that went right next to both Liberty island and Ellis Island! Steve was game, so we cabbed it to the Circle Line boat tour on the piers at the west side of the city. We were early, so we had no problem getting tickets or a seat next to the window. It was raining that day, so an indoor boat tour was really the best way to spend our time. Our tour guide was fun and had lots of great information. When we sailed by the statue, I headed outside to stand in the rain and proceeded to take tons of pics of the Statue. I could see her beautiful green color and look right into her eyes. I loved it and both Steve and I were SO glad that we decided to go on the tour.
After we got off the boat, we grabbed a cab back to our hotel and had some lunch at Nations café. This was honestly the worse part of the trip. The service wasn’t good and the turkey sandwich that I ordered was literally bread, dry turkey and lettuce. No dressings (I had to ask for mustard) and no pizzazz. I was not impressed. The Manhattan chowder was average too. Oh well, it was food and it was fast. It wasn't quite time to go, so we headed up the street to Pinkberry for some dessert. We reflected on the awesome trip and could see ourselves living here for a few years maybe someday....maybe. :) We walked back to the hotel and our car service that had been arranged to take us to the airport was there. We had stored our luggage after we checked out that morning, so we grabbed it and were wisked to the airport. Our driver didn't speak a word of English and he took some bizarre back roads, but we got there in plenty of time. Good thing too...because we were actually dropped off at the wrong terminal and had to take the bus to where we were supposed to be!
As we flew out of La Guardia, we were so tired but so happy and excited about all that we had seen and done. We had fairly nice weather the entire trip and did most everything that we had set out to do. I can’t wait until we can go back again! It was truly a trip to remember.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Let's Hear it for New York, New York, New Yoooooork!
So much has happened in the last two weeks that I can hardly wrap my brain around it! In addition to the excitement of getting engaged, Steve and I had a New York trip to look forward to! Neither of us had ever been, so we were looking forward to exploring the city together and celebrating our new Fiancé and Fiancée statuses! I’m in SUCH a hurry to write down everything that we did for fear that I won’t remember…even though I took about 300 pictures while we where there. Find the shorter version of the album on Facebook or here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2310120&id=11501957&l=ac5dc96bda
Day 1 – Thursday, March 25th:
I took a half day off work and we flew out on 2:00 from Midway to La Guardia. We were worried that traffic was going to be terrible, because we arrived at 5:00 pm, but we had an uneventful cab ride to the Beekman Tower Hotel, which was perfectly situated on 49th and 1st, right in Midtown East. The area reminded us a lot of the Gold Coast here in Chicago, because it was about ten blocks to the heart of the city, but the area where the actual hotel was located was quiet and residential. The Hotel itself was nothing to write home about, it was older, but the room was a pretty good size and it had a full kitchen. Everything worked and was clean, so I was satisfied with our choice. Or…I guess it was Priceline’s choice….we did the Name Your Own Price option so we could get it for less.
It was such a beautiful day, that we couldn’t wait to get outside and explore. We needed to go downtown to pick up our tickets for the bus tour the next day, so we decided to walk. We saw Fifth Ave, the Waldorf Hotel, Grand Central (which was phenomenally huge), stopped to take pictures in Bryant Park (where Steve randomly saw someone that he had met at U of O) and finally wound up in front of Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in Times Square to pick up our bus tickets for http://www.citysightsny.com/. We then grabbed a burger at Burger Heaven, which was pretty good, and headed in a cab back to our Hotel to get ready for the next day.
Day 2 – Friday, March 26th:
I was up bright and early at 7:30 because our bus tour started at 8:00. I knew that there was no way that we would be getting there that early. Steve finally dragged himself out of bed and we headed down to the tour stop by the Waldorf Hotel around 10:00. We stopped for breakfast at The Local Store, a little bakery that looked cute. We weren't very impressed with the portions for the price though, and knew we would be hungry soon. After breakfast, we waited about a half hour for the bus to come…not a great first impression. They claimed there was a fire on one of the buses…but I don’t know. The tour was fun – three of the four guides were really funny and told us tons of interesting facts about the city. They were very much your typical New York locals. We hopped off at Greenwich Village because Steve wanted to grab a Pastrami sandwich from the famous Katz’s deli, where a scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed. The place was packed and it cost up 15 bucks EACH for a pastrami sandwich, but it was some of the most tender and flavorful meat that I have ever eaten.
We then wandered town to a place that our tour guide recommended – Rocco’s. It was a bakery and I about drooled all over myself when I walked it. A long line of counters revealed rows and rows of cakes, pastries, cookies, candies and any other insulin-shock inducing food you could think of. We settled on a few treats and headed over to NYU Law School because Steve wanted to have a look. The campus was okay, but I don’t think I’d like it being smack in the middle of the city like that.
We hopped back on the bus in SoHo (South of Houston street) and then rode down to Ground Zero – the World Trade Center site. For me, seeing the new buildings being put up to replace them really made the horrific events of that day a little more real. After, we walked past Trinity Church and down Wall Street. We got lost for a little bit, until we finally found the road that would lead us to Battery Park on the South end of the Island. You can see the Statue of Liberty from there. I have to say that I was disappointed though. I didn’t realize how far away the statue was from the park. She just looked like a shadow in the background and I really longed to get a closer look. That look would eventually come on Sunday.
After resting a bit, we got back on the bus and finished the tour, which dropped us at the United Nations building, about five blocks from our hotel. We rested a bit and then got dressed and ready to see the Lion King on Broadway. After arriving near the theater, we grabbed a very quick dinner at McDonald's and made our way to our seats. The theater was pretty modern…not like the ones we’ve been in when we go to plays in Chicago. There was lots of legroom and a lack of old fashioned decorations that I love about old theaters. We had pretty good seats – third row on the balcony – and we ABSOLUTELY enjoyed every minute of the play. The dialogue was almost exactly like the movie, although there were more songs. I loved how they made the people look like the animals and the singing was amazing. We were very happy to have had such a pleasant Broadway experience. We were exhausted from our very long day, so we went back to the hotel and crashed.
The last two days of our amazing trip shall be continued in another post…
Day 1 – Thursday, March 25th:
I took a half day off work and we flew out on 2:00 from Midway to La Guardia. We were worried that traffic was going to be terrible, because we arrived at 5:00 pm, but we had an uneventful cab ride to the Beekman Tower Hotel, which was perfectly situated on 49th and 1st, right in Midtown East. The area reminded us a lot of the Gold Coast here in Chicago, because it was about ten blocks to the heart of the city, but the area where the actual hotel was located was quiet and residential. The Hotel itself was nothing to write home about, it was older, but the room was a pretty good size and it had a full kitchen. Everything worked and was clean, so I was satisfied with our choice. Or…I guess it was Priceline’s choice….we did the Name Your Own Price option so we could get it for less.
It was such a beautiful day, that we couldn’t wait to get outside and explore. We needed to go downtown to pick up our tickets for the bus tour the next day, so we decided to walk. We saw Fifth Ave, the Waldorf Hotel, Grand Central (which was phenomenally huge), stopped to take pictures in Bryant Park (where Steve randomly saw someone that he had met at U of O) and finally wound up in front of Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in Times Square to pick up our bus tickets for http://www.citysightsny.com/. We then grabbed a burger at Burger Heaven, which was pretty good, and headed in a cab back to our Hotel to get ready for the next day.
Day 2 – Friday, March 26th:
I was up bright and early at 7:30 because our bus tour started at 8:00. I knew that there was no way that we would be getting there that early. Steve finally dragged himself out of bed and we headed down to the tour stop by the Waldorf Hotel around 10:00. We stopped for breakfast at The Local Store, a little bakery that looked cute. We weren't very impressed with the portions for the price though, and knew we would be hungry soon. After breakfast, we waited about a half hour for the bus to come…not a great first impression. They claimed there was a fire on one of the buses…but I don’t know. The tour was fun – three of the four guides were really funny and told us tons of interesting facts about the city. They were very much your typical New York locals. We hopped off at Greenwich Village because Steve wanted to grab a Pastrami sandwich from the famous Katz’s deli, where a scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed. The place was packed and it cost up 15 bucks EACH for a pastrami sandwich, but it was some of the most tender and flavorful meat that I have ever eaten.
We then wandered town to a place that our tour guide recommended – Rocco’s. It was a bakery and I about drooled all over myself when I walked it. A long line of counters revealed rows and rows of cakes, pastries, cookies, candies and any other insulin-shock inducing food you could think of. We settled on a few treats and headed over to NYU Law School because Steve wanted to have a look. The campus was okay, but I don’t think I’d like it being smack in the middle of the city like that.
We hopped back on the bus in SoHo (South of Houston street) and then rode down to Ground Zero – the World Trade Center site. For me, seeing the new buildings being put up to replace them really made the horrific events of that day a little more real. After, we walked past Trinity Church and down Wall Street. We got lost for a little bit, until we finally found the road that would lead us to Battery Park on the South end of the Island. You can see the Statue of Liberty from there. I have to say that I was disappointed though. I didn’t realize how far away the statue was from the park. She just looked like a shadow in the background and I really longed to get a closer look. That look would eventually come on Sunday.
After resting a bit, we got back on the bus and finished the tour, which dropped us at the United Nations building, about five blocks from our hotel. We rested a bit and then got dressed and ready to see the Lion King on Broadway. After arriving near the theater, we grabbed a very quick dinner at McDonald's and made our way to our seats. The theater was pretty modern…not like the ones we’ve been in when we go to plays in Chicago. There was lots of legroom and a lack of old fashioned decorations that I love about old theaters. We had pretty good seats – third row on the balcony – and we ABSOLUTELY enjoyed every minute of the play. The dialogue was almost exactly like the movie, although there were more songs. I loved how they made the people look like the animals and the singing was amazing. We were very happy to have had such a pleasant Broadway experience. We were exhausted from our very long day, so we went back to the hotel and crashed.
The last two days of our amazing trip shall be continued in another post…
Monday, March 29, 2010
Miss Lindsay of... Green !?!
About 9,000 things have happened since I last blogged. But most notably – I’m now to become Lindsay Kelly Green in the near future!
Steven and I are now engaged! And that crafty Fiancé of mine gave me a great story to tell about how it happened…
As I wrote about before, I took a trip back to the hometown of Sisters, Oregon on March 18th. The weather was gorgeous for most of the time and I had a blast with my parents and brother when we went to see the Irish Rovers in concert at the Bend Theater. I was settling down in my parent’s house on Sunday night, getting ready for dinner and thinking about my trip home the next day, when Steve called. I first noticed that he sounded like he was in the car…but quickly shook it off as he asked me about the day, and what I was having for dinner. After about 10 mins, he quickly said, “I have to go…call you back in a few.” Thinking nothing of it, I hung up and went back to whatever I was doing on the computer.
Not three seconds later, the doorbell rang. I was in my sweatpants…and since I wasn’t expecting anyone, I didn’t get up to answer it. Then my dad told me to get the door. Imagine my surprise when my boyfriend – who was supposed to be in Chicago – was standing there on my parent’s doorstep in Sisters, Oregon. My little brother had brought him from the Redmond Airport.
My brain literally “did not compute” for about 3 seconds. I had no idea who he was or why he was standing there. I didn’t even let him in the house until he asked, “can I come in?” about one minute later. I finally hugged him and everything started to rush through my head at once—like when the hero in a movie finally puts all the missing pieces together and figures out the problem (and the audience sees it in flashbacks).
Flash 1: Dad took me dress shopping, playing it off as if I would wear the dress to the concert the night before. Then, suddenly, changed his mine the day off and told me to save the dress we got for a different time.
Flash 2: Although mom thought it would be better to have our Mock Easter Dinner (cause I wouldn’t be home for the holiday) on Sunday night, Dad insisted we had it on Saturday instead.
Flash 3: Mom had asked about dinner Sunday night about an hour earlier, and was going to start making it. But dad insisted we wait a bit longer because he wasn’t hungry. When my mom asked again a half hour later, dad said to start it in 20 more minutes.
Flash 4: Dad decided that we wouldn’t go into Bend to watch Jared play hockey on Sunday night.
Flash 5: Steve totally sounded like he was in the car while on the phone.
I’m sure there were many more, but this is what I remember. And, as you can tell from the above, my Dad and brother were the only ones that knew what was going on (Steve had called to ask Dad for permission a few weeks before to set it all up). I didn’t know for sure…but I was 90 percent sure when I found Steve on the step, that he was there to propose.
But, instead of kneeling down right on the stoop, Steve told me that we had reservations for the Blacksmith. According to Yelp, this is the best place to get a steak in Bend. We arrived early, had a few drinks, and then were brought to our booth and ordered our dinner. We had amazing crab fondue and our steaks were so tender and delicious. I was still half in shock and TOTALLY nervous when we finished eating. It seems so odd how I reacted now…because we’ve been a couple for five and a half years, and have lived together for all five and a half of them.
After dinner, he put his arm around me, said something like, "Well, I lied, I actually planned this out long in advance. We've had some good times together, huh?" He then slid off the booth and onto one knee as he presented the ring and asked the question I knew was coming. I teared up a bit, said yes immediately and we spent the rest of the evening there cuddling and admiring the beautiful ring. When we got home to Sisters, my parents congratulated us and we had some Champagne. It was truly an engagement to remember and we’re so thrilled and giddy about it even still!!! We don’t have any plans on a date yet or anything, but I will be sure to update often.
So, although not much has changed other than the lovely addition to my left hand, we made our trip to New York this past weekend and had great celebration of our new status. And since this blog is a book already, I will save the wonders of the Big Apple for tomorrow’s post!
Steven and I are now engaged! And that crafty Fiancé of mine gave me a great story to tell about how it happened…
As I wrote about before, I took a trip back to the hometown of Sisters, Oregon on March 18th. The weather was gorgeous for most of the time and I had a blast with my parents and brother when we went to see the Irish Rovers in concert at the Bend Theater. I was settling down in my parent’s house on Sunday night, getting ready for dinner and thinking about my trip home the next day, when Steve called. I first noticed that he sounded like he was in the car…but quickly shook it off as he asked me about the day, and what I was having for dinner. After about 10 mins, he quickly said, “I have to go…call you back in a few.” Thinking nothing of it, I hung up and went back to whatever I was doing on the computer.
Not three seconds later, the doorbell rang. I was in my sweatpants…and since I wasn’t expecting anyone, I didn’t get up to answer it. Then my dad told me to get the door. Imagine my surprise when my boyfriend – who was supposed to be in Chicago – was standing there on my parent’s doorstep in Sisters, Oregon. My little brother had brought him from the Redmond Airport.
My brain literally “did not compute” for about 3 seconds. I had no idea who he was or why he was standing there. I didn’t even let him in the house until he asked, “can I come in?” about one minute later. I finally hugged him and everything started to rush through my head at once—like when the hero in a movie finally puts all the missing pieces together and figures out the problem (and the audience sees it in flashbacks).
Flash 1: Dad took me dress shopping, playing it off as if I would wear the dress to the concert the night before. Then, suddenly, changed his mine the day off and told me to save the dress we got for a different time.
Flash 2: Although mom thought it would be better to have our Mock Easter Dinner (cause I wouldn’t be home for the holiday) on Sunday night, Dad insisted we had it on Saturday instead.
Flash 3: Mom had asked about dinner Sunday night about an hour earlier, and was going to start making it. But dad insisted we wait a bit longer because he wasn’t hungry. When my mom asked again a half hour later, dad said to start it in 20 more minutes.
Flash 4: Dad decided that we wouldn’t go into Bend to watch Jared play hockey on Sunday night.
Flash 5: Steve totally sounded like he was in the car while on the phone.
I’m sure there were many more, but this is what I remember. And, as you can tell from the above, my Dad and brother were the only ones that knew what was going on (Steve had called to ask Dad for permission a few weeks before to set it all up). I didn’t know for sure…but I was 90 percent sure when I found Steve on the step, that he was there to propose.
But, instead of kneeling down right on the stoop, Steve told me that we had reservations for the Blacksmith. According to Yelp, this is the best place to get a steak in Bend. We arrived early, had a few drinks, and then were brought to our booth and ordered our dinner. We had amazing crab fondue and our steaks were so tender and delicious. I was still half in shock and TOTALLY nervous when we finished eating. It seems so odd how I reacted now…because we’ve been a couple for five and a half years, and have lived together for all five and a half of them.
After dinner, he put his arm around me, said something like, "Well, I lied, I actually planned this out long in advance. We've had some good times together, huh?" He then slid off the booth and onto one knee as he presented the ring and asked the question I knew was coming. I teared up a bit, said yes immediately and we spent the rest of the evening there cuddling and admiring the beautiful ring. When we got home to Sisters, my parents congratulated us and we had some Champagne. It was truly an engagement to remember and we’re so thrilled and giddy about it even still!!! We don’t have any plans on a date yet or anything, but I will be sure to update often.
So, although not much has changed other than the lovely addition to my left hand, we made our trip to New York this past weekend and had great celebration of our new status. And since this blog is a book already, I will save the wonders of the Big Apple for tomorrow’s post!
Monday, March 8, 2010
A Short Lapse in Laps
So, I kinda fell off the wagon a bit with blogging. Certain ailments and antibiotic regimens have not allowed me to work out for a week and 1/3. And as my motivation for working out had dwindled, so did my motivation for blogging. Odd. I'll also chalk it up to two of the busiest weeks ever here at Cision. Hectic was an understatement last week.
Anyway, I got back in the mix last Wednesday with Hi Low Aerobics class. I'm so glad I don't take that class every week, because I've done that class only one other time about a month ago and I can swear to you that it was the SAME music and the SAME routine. Not that the workout is not effective...it could just get old. I highly prefer Monday's Kwando class. So I guess I'll just stick to swimming on Wednesdays and Fridays. It's odd how fat I feel after only taking a week off of the routine. I had forgotten how good working out makes you feel. I'm all ready to go for Kwando tonight though-- I even purchased a new gym bag at Target. It's a pink duffel bag, and it's only pink because it was the only color besides "Is that your bag or mine?" black. I would have bought a kickboard too, if Target would have had something besides Spiderman and Dora the Explorer plastered on the fronts.
Other than the short break from the gym, everything has been normal on the home front. Steve and I went to the Field Museum two Sundays ago to look at bones and diamonds and other cool things. We've also had a few more Poker Nights with law students, Happy Hours with Cision folks and lazy errand days.
Next weekend(!!!), I'm going home to Sisters, Oregon to visit the family. It'll be a much needed break from work and big city life. The weekend after that, Steve and I head to New York, NY for our very first visit to the Big Apple. I'm SUPER stoked about it. We're going to see the Lion King on Broadway and pack as many touristy things in as we can for the three days we'll be there.
AND, on April 8th, my cousin Melissa and her fiance, Daniel, will be visiting us here in Chicago! I can hardly contain myself from planning out every minute of their stay here. It's going to be so fun to show them the city!
Perhaps something I am looking forward to equally as much is the end of winter! Spring should hit Chicago soon (I hope)!
Anyway, I got back in the mix last Wednesday with Hi Low Aerobics class. I'm so glad I don't take that class every week, because I've done that class only one other time about a month ago and I can swear to you that it was the SAME music and the SAME routine. Not that the workout is not effective...it could just get old. I highly prefer Monday's Kwando class. So I guess I'll just stick to swimming on Wednesdays and Fridays. It's odd how fat I feel after only taking a week off of the routine. I had forgotten how good working out makes you feel. I'm all ready to go for Kwando tonight though-- I even purchased a new gym bag at Target. It's a pink duffel bag, and it's only pink because it was the only color besides "Is that your bag or mine?" black. I would have bought a kickboard too, if Target would have had something besides Spiderman and Dora the Explorer plastered on the fronts.
Other than the short break from the gym, everything has been normal on the home front. Steve and I went to the Field Museum two Sundays ago to look at bones and diamonds and other cool things. We've also had a few more Poker Nights with law students, Happy Hours with Cision folks and lazy errand days.
Next weekend(!!!), I'm going home to Sisters, Oregon to visit the family. It'll be a much needed break from work and big city life. The weekend after that, Steve and I head to New York, NY for our very first visit to the Big Apple. I'm SUPER stoked about it. We're going to see the Lion King on Broadway and pack as many touristy things in as we can for the three days we'll be there.
AND, on April 8th, my cousin Melissa and her fiance, Daniel, will be visiting us here in Chicago! I can hardly contain myself from planning out every minute of their stay here. It's going to be so fun to show them the city!
Perhaps something I am looking forward to equally as much is the end of winter! Spring should hit Chicago soon (I hope)!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Valentines Day = Throwing Calorie Counting Into The Wind
Everyone who swims at the gym must have read my blog post last week, because there was not a soul in the pool when I arrived for my workout on Friday at 5:00 pm. After thoroughly checking the area to make sure that there were no signs announcing a shark attack or rat infestation, I hopped in the first lane. There was only one guy who got in for the entire 60 mins that I was doing my workout. And just in case you're super concerned about me drowning if I do in fact have the pool all to myself - have no fear. Not only is the hot tub and sauna (which usually have people in them) about 10 feet away from the pool, but the pool itself is only about 3 and a half feet deep all the way across. It's a good idea in theory, but it might still be a little too shallow. Those big guys have a heck of a time with the underwater turns.
After my workout, I showered and went over to a friend's house to watch the opening of the Winter Olympics. I was pretty impressed with the opening ceremonies and wished the whole time that I was still on the west coast so I could take a jaunt up to Vancouver to check out the spectacle.
The weekend was pretty low key - I went shopping to find some new workout shoes (because I'm so hardcore now) and hung around the house. Sunday was the day of love - Valentines Day and Steve and I celebrated by going to Lawry's Prime Rib and having an excellent meal and a delightful evening. If you're into to it, check out my Yelp review (lindsaykell.yelp.com).
Monday's kwando (kickboxing) class was as brutal as always, but my endurance is up and I'm hardly sore for it. I look forward to my swimming workout today. It always makes my muscles relax and loosen up. It's disappointing that I haven't lost any weight yet...but I probably need to modify my diet along with this new exercise regimen and remind myself that just because I'm working out doesn't mean I can eat whatever I want.
Other than that, all is quiet on the home-front. The boyfriend is sick with head cold, which thankfully doesn't happen to often, because I don't dodge colds very well. Only time will tell if I can successfully keep my immune system in check and not catch it from him. I did my taxes last night and am totally not getting as much back as I thought-- bummer. February is almost over, and that means the worst of winter in Chicago is also almost over. I am massively looking forward to March, because I have a trip home to Oregon planned the 18-22 and a trip to New York (first-timers) with my boyfriend planned the 25-28. Both should be a VERY sweet (and much needed) break indeed!
After my workout, I showered and went over to a friend's house to watch the opening of the Winter Olympics. I was pretty impressed with the opening ceremonies and wished the whole time that I was still on the west coast so I could take a jaunt up to Vancouver to check out the spectacle.
The weekend was pretty low key - I went shopping to find some new workout shoes (because I'm so hardcore now) and hung around the house. Sunday was the day of love - Valentines Day and Steve and I celebrated by going to Lawry's Prime Rib and having an excellent meal and a delightful evening. If you're into to it, check out my Yelp review (lindsaykell.yelp.com).
Monday's kwando (kickboxing) class was as brutal as always, but my endurance is up and I'm hardly sore for it. I look forward to my swimming workout today. It always makes my muscles relax and loosen up. It's disappointing that I haven't lost any weight yet...but I probably need to modify my diet along with this new exercise regimen and remind myself that just because I'm working out doesn't mean I can eat whatever I want.
Other than that, all is quiet on the home-front. The boyfriend is sick with head cold, which thankfully doesn't happen to often, because I don't dodge colds very well. Only time will tell if I can successfully keep my immune system in check and not catch it from him. I did my taxes last night and am totally not getting as much back as I thought-- bummer. February is almost over, and that means the worst of winter in Chicago is also almost over. I am massively looking forward to March, because I have a trip home to Oregon planned the 18-22 and a trip to New York (first-timers) with my boyfriend planned the 25-28. Both should be a VERY sweet (and much needed) break indeed!
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