Gatlinburg adventure

For our honeymoon we went just a bit south of Gatlinburg to stay in a cabin in the Smoky mountains with a spectacular view of the mountains and sunrise every morning.  We ventured into Gatlinburg to go to Ripley's Aquarium, went hiking, and to cades cove another day.  It was a nice time away after all the stress of wedding planning.

Wedding success...

Two weeks ago I was able to marry my best friend.  The day was perfect.  Mo and I started the day out with a 3 mile run ending at my fave coffee place (Coffee Emporium) then starting the long process of getting ready.  While getting my hair done the rain started and quickly turned into a downpour.  I was a little worried but feeling a little zen about the day.  That was the reason we got a facility for the wedding with an indoor area.  Just in the nick of time the rain stopped and it cleared up so we could have the ceremony outside.  We had the reception inside, but the first dance and cake cutting outside.  It was a wonderful day.  I've started the process of name change....according to the government I am now Mary Patricia Lee.  Yay.  I'll put up some images from the honeymoon soon.  We had a fab. photographer who took a ton of beautiful images (Lowry Photo, Cincinnati), some of which I included here in my collage.

It's almost the big day...

Our wedding is in only 4 days!!  I can't believe it's almost here.  It seems like we just started planning it.  Needless to say, I've been a little stressed lately so I put together some images that make me happy.  Enjoy...

Although stressful, I'm extremely excited for the festivities this weekend and the start of the rest of my life as a wife.

Race in review...

Last Sunday I participated in the AHA heart mini.  I ran the 1/2 marathon, the first time they've offered this length of an event.  Usually the events are 5k, 10k, or 15k.  I have to admit that this course was very challenging.  So many hills!!!  At one point I think I could have walked up a hill more quickly than I was running.  After combating the hills of Cincinnati we headed across the bridge to newport, KY  to run a few miles then head back across another bridge to downtown before we finished.  (The bridges added more hill work.)

If the hills weren't enough a challenge we also had a bit of rain.  About an hour before the event was scheduled to start I arrived downtown and then rain started.  Luckily, I had an emergency poncho with me in my handy dandy duffle bag.  After about mile 1-2 the rained died down and it was just cloudy and cool the rest of the race.  After the race the rain started again.  It was a perfect window of dryness.  I'm so glad I finished before it started coming down again.

Overall, it was a great race.  Even with all the hills I set a new PR of 2:01:36.  Totally surprised myself!  I think the extra strength training is paying off!!! I think I'm in a good place for training for my next marathon....the disney world marathon Jan. 2012!

The last month or so in review...

It's been a bit over a month since I've posted to the blog.  Since then ALOT has happened.  Needless to say it's been a crazy month full of presentations, wedding planning, and festivities.  Here are some the highlights:

• Valentine's day...Jonah and I had brunch at Nada in downtown Cincy and attended the Cincinnati Ballet's A midsummer night's dream!  It's was fantastic.  
• Committee meeting with the advisory committee of professors  to give an update on my research and progress.  I received some great constructive comments and confirmation that I'm on track for my Ph.D.  
• Helped with Saturday science, a day where middle school kids learn about development and have a lab day.  
• Bridal shower hosted by my amazing friends Lauren and Morgan.  Lots of delicious food, visiting with family and friends, and fun gifts. 
• Registered for the Disney World Marathon (Jan. 8, 2012).  Hooray for a disney adventure.  
• Nearly done with all the wedding details.  I just have a few reception things to assemble and print in the coming weeks.  

The image for the post is of a centerpiece made with a ball jar, an inspiration image for our centerpieces of our wedding.  (We met at Ball State :))  This weekend will be full of wedding preparation and a fun half-marathon benefiting American Heart Association!

a few new obsessions....

I'm an avid viewer of Fringe on Fox.  It's a JJ Abrams creation with a lot of show scifi mythology and hidden clues.  After realizing  my love for this show I realized I had totally snubbed another JJ Abrams critically revered show, Lost.  I got the first season discs from the library and I've been hooked ever since.  Not many of my friends watched Lost so I'm not spoiled on what has happened yet.  I'm now about halfway through the second season!  Lost is my new obsession #1

As a way to become more graceful and challenge myself physically I've been attending ballet classes once a week.  We practice basic ballet positions and movement combination, but I end up seriously sore.  There are stability muscles used in ballet that are not used in running, cycling, or weight training.  It's been a fun challenge, and I've been able to meet some fun people.  Ballet is my new obsession #2.  We're also going to see the cincinnati ballet's version of a midsummer night's dream this weekend!!!

baby it's cold outside

It's been a blustery week in Cincinnati, luckily not nearly as bad as the rest of the midwest.  On cold days I would love to cuddle on the couch with a good book, coffee/tea, and a snuggle buddy.  But alas, I must be up giving into my running obsession.  Running in the cold has it's advantages and disadvantages.  I LOVE being the first one out putting footprints onto a fresh dusting of snow on the sidewalks.  However, I'm not a fan of all the layers I have to wear.  (It's like wearing two sets of running clothes.....and that leads to twice the laundry :( )
Since it's chilly and I'm training for the Heart half marathon I wanted to share few little tips on running in the cold:
1) start with a moisture wicking base layer under your running clothes
2) Hats are your friend, since it keeps in all the heat you lose through your head.
3) If it's really chilly, usually in the teens, I don a balaclava (dick's sporting goods has really cute ones, I got a purple one)
4) I typically limit my time outside depending on the temp., really cold days such as the single digits to the teens I run less than an hour if it's warmer I'll be out for up to two hours.
5) Just get out and run, anticipation of the coldness outside is always much worse than the actual temp.
6) extend your warm up a bit, think of you muscle as a rubber band.  Rubber bands stretch much more easily when they are warm and will snap in the cold.  I would recommend 5-10 min warm up.

Happy running.....

the weekend...

This past weekend Jonah and I tried a new restaurant in downtown Cincinnati, Nada.  It was a wonderful new experience.  Nada has a great ambiance and amazing mexican food.  After relaxing with some delish food and drinks we ventured into the cold and onto fountain square to watch people skate for a few minutes.  We then wimped out and headed back to the car since it was quite cold!

Then Saturday we ran tons of errands, which always makes me feel like I've accomplished a lot.  Then we spent hours printing and assembling our wedding invitations.  I'm so excited about how they turned out.  While running errands we got monogrammed stickers to use....love em.  I think monogramming things is becoming a new fave thing for me.

Sunday involved a few more wedding related things and some time wandering around the mall and people watching.

We're now almost done with wedding planning, all the pieces are in place we just have to finalize details with the vendors.  yay, and I can't believe the wedding is only about 9 weeks away...eeek!

The past week or so in review.

The past week has flown by......and here's why...

*I started some fun experiments last week and they worked.  Most of my experiments so far this week have worked.  So, I'm trying to get as much done as I can before my lab luck runs out.  Let's hope I can get all the additional data for my paper before my pot o' gold is gone.
*Last weekend Jonah and I were able to spend some much needed time with friends from Muncie.  We had good food and drinks and enjoyed great company.  We had an adventure exploring Jungle Jim's International market then headed to Lexington for more exploration and fun.
*My evenings during the week have been focused on getting some wedding planning completed.  I can say that I've gotten a lot done, had many meetings, and printed loads of invite related things.

I'm exhausted just thinking about all this.  Tonight is a much needed relaxation evening with friends eating $1 hamburgers and chatting.

Goals for 2011....

I like to make goals for the year instead of resolutions.  Most resolutions that I've made end in failure, however, when I make a goal I approach the task differently.  Basically, this is a matter of approaching what you want to accomplish/improve in a manner that works for you and sets you up for success.

The way I set goals for the year involves:
1. general brain storming on paper
2. developing specific goals so I know the direction I need to take
3. strategizing a plan to accomplish this goal
4. understanding that I will probably have to take a deviation from my original plan and try to not be too hard on myself.

Here are a few of my goals for 2011:
1. Professionally
    a. finish grant-done
    b. write and get paper accepted in a good journal
    c. by the end of the year have most of project 2 completed
    d. find positive female role models-facilitate relationships with various professors I interact with regularly
2. Personally
  a. develop patience in everyday frustrating situations by slowing down and thinking before responding instead of reacting
  b. Find more positive female role models through organizations that I'm involved in
  c. Continue exploring ballet through classes
  d. do more yoga - goal is to attend at least one class at a yoga studio/wk instead of doing yoga at home every time
  e. Try to reduce stress by focusing on being present instead of being overwhelmed by the big picture.

Those are my goals for this new year.  I encourage everyone to sit down and create goals.  Seeing them on paper allows you to organize your thoughts and approaches.  Also, when I'm having a movement when I feel like I have no idea what's going on in my hectic life I can re-read my goals and refocus.

This year I participated in the new year new you teleclass from Kimberly Wilson which helped organize thoughts and reflect on the previous year.  Yay new year and so much potential!