This is an aerial view of the tornado damage in Cullman, Alabama.
May 3rd, 2011
C25K Update
Last week, I ran 2 out of the 3 days that I had planned on running, so I decided to walk the track yesterday while I was waiting for Alex to get out of class. I ended up walking a mile. I try to space out my workout day and not run back to back so that I don’t get burnt out, sore, or strain something, which is why I walked the mile instead of just running it. Today will be Day 1 of Week 3! I’m going to get hydrated, eat a light lunch, head out to the track, then go grocery shopping (I’m making a roast for dinner). The schedule suggests running 3 minutes, then walking 3 minutes, for 20 minutes total, but I don’t know whether I’m ready for that yet, so I may end up repeating last week’s, which was run 90 seconds, walk 2 minutes. We’ll see I guess. Maybe I just need to suck it up and stop being a wimp.
Alex and I are currently trying to conceive. Does anyone know whether exercising like this will negatively affect fertility? Everything I’ve read says ‘strenuous’ exercise will make it harder to conceive… I don’t consider this strenuous, but I’m just curious about someone else’s perspective.
April 29th, 2011
April 28th, 2011
“I feel good with my husband. I like his warmth and his bigness and his being there and his making and his jokes and stories and what he reads and how he likes fishing and walks and pigs and foxes and little animals and is honest and not vain or fame-crazy and how he shows his gladness for what I cook him and joy when I make him something, a poem or a cake, and how he’s troubled when I am unhappy and wants to do anything so I can fight out my soul-battles and grow up with courage and a philosophical ease. I love his good smell and his body that fits with mine as if they were made in the same body shop to do just that. What is only pieces, doled out here and there to this boy and that boy, that made me like pieces of them, is all jammed together in my husband. So I don’t want to look around anymore. I don’t need to look around for anything.”
- The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
The same storm that hit my hometown also hit the city that I went to college in, Birmingham. The point where the camera man is standing is about 1/4 mile from Alex and I’s first apartment.
These are just a few of many pictures of the destruction to my hometown, Cullman, Alabama. I’ve contacted all but two family members and they’re all safe, but please be in prayer for those who weren’t so fortunate. They have 70 confirmed deaths and plenty still missing. This is absolutely devastating.
It looks like it should hit North Carolina next, so my thoughts and prayers are with them as well. Hopefully the storms will break up and die down before it reaches them - they’re all still trying to recover from the last tornado that hit that area.
There have been a record breaking number of tornadoes this season (over 260) and we still have months of the ‘tornado season’ left to endure.
April 22nd, 2011
April 20th, 2011
The first of many things that my husband should have told me…
You have to stop whatever you’re doing when they play the National Anthem over the loud speaker on base.
I was driving along the other day and everyone just stopped - in the middle of the road! I’m looking around like, “WTH is going on?! Have you people lost your minds?” Then I hear music playing, realize it’s the National Anthem, and put two and two together to come to the conclusion that apparently this is what we do on a military base. Who knew? Not me!
I was later informed that security forces can arrest you if you don’t stop while it’s playing. I’m glad they didn’t see me ‘cause I was weaving in and out of traffic, staring people down for being insane (or so I thought).
Oh, the joys of being the new military wife. -_-
April 18th, 2011
Week 1, Day 1 of C25K - Ok, I lied…
I said this wouldn’t become a fitness blog, but I’m proud of myself and I want to share it with someone, so I may end up talking about fitness for the next 4 weeks anyway.
It was 99 degrees here today! When I checked the weather this morning, I almost had a heat stroke right then and there. I thought about putting my workout off, but drove my lazy self to the track anyways. (I plan on going in the morning next time to avoid the heat.)
The plan for this week was as follows: “Do a brisk five minute work out walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes total.”
I hate running. I hate sweating. I hate being out of breath. I hate that my mouth gets dry from being out of breath. I hate getting cramps in my sides. I hate being sore the next day. I hate the way the sweat and wind make my hair tangly. I hate being outside when it’s extremely hot (or cold, for that matter). Period. So I was not digging the idea of doing this three times a week, but it actually wasn’t that bad. At one point I looked at the timer I had set and realized I was only 10 minutes into the workout and wanted to quit, but I pushed through it and kept going. I actually broke a sweat! I haven’t done that while exercising since high school, I think. That sounds horrible, but it’s true. I hate exercising, but that word ‘hate’ is slowly being replaced by ‘tolerate.’
I want to be healthy. I want to feel better. I want to have more energy. That’s why I’m doing this. Hopefully I can stick it out.
April 13th, 2011
This isn't going to become a fitness blog, but I thought you guys might enjoy this.
It’s a fitness program called ‘Couch to 5k’ that breaks up running into more manageable chunks. It’s isn’t rocket science or anything (I don’t know why I never thought to do this.), but it makes getting in shape/being able to run 3 miles seem doable and not so overwhelming. I absolutely HATE running, but I’ve always wanted to be a runner (stupid, right?), so I’m going to try to stick with this for the next 4 weeks. If I still hate running by the end of it, I’ll just accept it and move on (and maybe try yoga). Anyway, I’ll keep you guys updated on how it works.
April 5th, 2011
It’s official.
We are ‘trying to conceive.’ I stopped taking birth control in November, and my cycle has finally returned to normal, so it’s just a waiting game from here on out. Some people may think that it’s a little premature for me to start a blog about a child that doesn’t exist yet, but I believe in talking about your dreams like they’re already coming true, and my biggest dream is to be a mother. If you’d like to follow along during this journey, here is the Tumblr version of Hey Mama, Rock Me.
