monday musings.

monday musings.

5.27.2013

You'll have to forgive me for the recent radio silence. As you can imagine, things have been a bit crazy around here and despite the fact that we're now unemployed, we've managed to stay fairly busy. Over the summer, I'll do my best to keep up but, you know, no promises since we are, in fact, moving across the country, planning a wedding, and job hunting...among other things.

Ok so...where did we leave off?

1. Packing. Ugh. I was feeling super stressed about it but woke up today on a mission to make some progress. Success. We're getting there...

2. We did sell the Mini which was a very sad, sad day.

3. The upside to packing is discovering all sorts of hidden items. The other upside is selling all that random stuff and actually making money during a move.

4. Did I already mention that I managed to make $250 selling some old clothes on ebay? You should go raid your closet and list your stuff immediately.

5. So.many.things. on the wedding to-do list. Honestly, now that the big stuff is out of the way, I feel like there are a million little details that need to get handled.

6. We have been having so many fun dinners with our Dallas friends at our favorite eateries before we leave. Almost every night has been filled with great friends and delish food. We're going to miss the restaurant scene (and our friends!) in Dallas for sure. We were treated to some awesome lake time yesterday which we'll REALLY miss. 

7. Allllssoo, Lizzie (college roommate and bestie) came back to Dallas for the first time since college, C had his bachelor party in Austin, and we had dinner with new friends who'll be attending Yale in the Fall!

8. So much wedding dress drama. That's all I want to say about that. But...we're getting there.

9. I passed up my usual faves in the haircare department in favor of some cheaper products now that we're on a budget. I'm liking this brand lately and I picked up this, this and this on my last Ulta trip. 

10. Speaking of hair, can't wait for my haircut tomorrow. Just a trim though. 

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london + edinburgh

london + edinburgh

5.24.2013

We had such an amazing time during our travels around England and Scotland. The trip came at the perfect time and we took full advantage of our time off. We saw the Queen. We visited castles. We ate lots of Italian food. We walked in the rain. We drank tea. We traveled on planes, trains, boats, and taxis. I'll let our pictures do the rest of the talking.

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{race report} TexasMan Sprint Triathlon

{race report} TexasMan Sprint Triathlon

It absolutely makes sense to sign up to do a race the morning before you leave on a transcontinental flight to London. Naturally. 

But honestly, it wasn't that crazy. Our flight to London wasn't until 6:45pm and all we had to do was sit on a plane. So it made complete sense. 

Overall, this was a really fun race. The water was a little chilly and the bike course was a little windy, but hey, we can't all be perfect. This race also has a bit of a funny ending...for me. 

We hit some serious traffic on the way out to the race which made for an anxious morning. Luckily, we weren't the only ones so they held transition open a while longer to accommodate all the latecomers. After frantically setting up my transition area and making the necessary bathroom stop, it was time to head down to the beach. C did the Olympic distance and started over a full hour before I went off. 

SWIM

This swim was an easy 500 meters. The trickiest part was the chill of the water which easily takes your breath away when you dive in. This race was also a beach start, my first. I loved the beach start aspect because I hate having to jump in the water and expend all that energy treading water. Even though I wore a wetsuit, I still struggled to quickly acclimate to the chilly temps. But in the end, I think the cold water made me swim faster because I had a good swim time (for me) of 13:09. 

wetsuits, y'all. so sexy.

T1

It was quite a long jog up the beach and through the parking lot to my bike rack. My feet were numb which made running across the very rocky pavement, a little less painful. Cold fingers and toes doesn't make for an easy transition though. I definitely took a little too much time getting myself situated. Oh well. 

BIKE

I got new shoes and pedals literally a day before this race so I was a little nervous about jumping on my bike. But once I was on, I felt good. It was slightly chilly as I headed out onto the course but I knew I'd warm up quickly. The course was an out and back along the shoulder of a road that had a lot of chip seal on it. That was sort of frustrating because there wasn't a lot of room to pass or maneuver in the shoulder. We also had SERIOUS headwinds on the way out which made every hill feel like a mountain. I think I averaged 10 mph on the way out. Sad. But as soon as I turned around, I felt like I was flying. All that wind was finally behind me and helped push me along for the 8 miles back to transition. I was hoping that would really help me average a faster pace but alas, it didn't. I ended up completing the 16 miles in about an hour. 

T2

My toes were a bit numb which always makes putting on your sneakers a little tricky. But once I got my laces tied, I was off. 

RUN

My toes tingled for about half of the run. Sort of annoying because it was slightly painful but I just tried to focus on my breathing. I felt really good on the run and was holding a 9:30/min mile pace which felt easy (go me!). Then all of a sudden, I saw the finish line and was impressed with how awesome I was feeling. I sprinted to the finish and couldn't wait to tell C how hard I'd pushed myself. My run splits were going to be so good....

....but here comes the funny part. As I rounded the corner to the finish, I noticed that my watch said I had another half mile to run. So when I crossed the finish line, I told C that the run course must have been really short. HA! Wishful thinking. I somehow managed to miss a turn during the run and totally cut it short. Ugh. Idiot. But at that point, there was nothing to be done. Technically, I ran a 30 min or so 5K, but my official time shows me running a 26min 5K. The day I actually run 8:30/min miles will be a miracle. 

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london to edinburgh.

london to edinburgh.

5.10.2013

Our time in London has ended and we're currently on the train to Edinburgh. The trip has been lovely, so far, and such a treat. We saw Her Majesty The Queen, ate lots of Italian food, took a double-decker bus tour, visited Bath, drank tea, smelled perfumes and seriously relaxed.

We were delighted to find out that we had First Class train tickets which has included comfy seats and lots of drinks/snacks. I've kept myself occupied by catching up on over a week of blog posts and staring out the window at the lovely, English countryside.

We're excited to enjoy this weekend in Scotland drinking whiskey, seeing castles and eating shortbread.

It's back to the States on Tuesday!

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out of the office. for good.

out of the office. for good.

5.05.2013

this print can be purchased here

As you read this, I'm currently soaring over the Atlantic on my way to London for a much needed getaway with the one I love. Wednesday was my last day of work and while bittersweet, it was great to have this trip to look forward to. When we get back, I know I'll be faced with lots of packing and the world of unemployment. 

It does feel a bit strange to not put up an out of office message or respond to work emails but I am by no means complaining. We have vowed to have a stress-free trip and avoid wedding/moving/packing talk. This is going to be a true vacation. 

I'm not a blogger who likes to schedule posts in my absence because I like my content to be fresh. So, lovely readers, I'm signing off and shutting down. You can follow our escapades on Instagram if you miss me too much. 

We'll say hi to Kate and Will for you guys! Cheers!

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