cloudy, wet, 45 degree weather + afternoon coffee run without a jacket + plants poking out of the mulch = major excitement
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Amazing how after months of winter... - Brady
cloudy, wet, 45 degree weather + afternoon coffee run without a jacket + plants poking out of the mulch = major excitement
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Otto and Otis - Brady
I don't think I believe in guardian angels. But I'm starting to wonder if giant dogs somehow follow me around and watch out for me.
When we first moved to Fort Wayne, a tough time for me, Kevin and I tossed and turned one really cold winter night because we kept hearing a big, mean-sounding dog barking very close to our house. I woke up at 5 a.m. to get ready to teach, and I found a GIANT black animal sitting on our front porch. It walked around to the back door, which leads to Kevin's and my room, and started pawing at the screen like it wanted to come in. We freaked out. Kevin insisted we put on gloves. (It was 5 a.m. I'm not sure either of us were very with it.) We opened the door. The huge Newfoundland immediately rolled over in the snow onto its back, wanting me to pet its belly. We put it in a back bedroom and fed it some tortillas. When I left for school, I opened the door to find it standing smack-dab in the middle of the room just looking at me. He hadn't chewed anything. Hadn't barked. Hadn't even laid down. After I left, Kevin took it to the vet listed on its tag and found out his name was "Otto" and that he lived on our road.
We never saw Otto (or his GIANT pawprints) again and never heard from his owners. Sometimes I wonder if Otto was at our house that night to scare something or somebody off. Other times I think maybe he was just there to give us a weird, fun, awesome morning.
Now, back in Chicago, going through another tumultuous time, I occasionally get to spend time with a 175-pound, tall enough to look at me eye-to-eye, Mastiff named Otis who lives in the coach house behind us. It seems like on the nights I'm most frustrated or angry, Otis is out back waiting for me. He even settled down a spazzy Lucy tonight by snuggling up to her on the stairwell. Chris, Otis's "dad," described him to me as "therapeutic."
I think I'd take an enormous dog over a guardian angel any day. :)
When we first moved to Fort Wayne, a tough time for me, Kevin and I tossed and turned one really cold winter night because we kept hearing a big, mean-sounding dog barking very close to our house. I woke up at 5 a.m. to get ready to teach, and I found a GIANT black animal sitting on our front porch. It walked around to the back door, which leads to Kevin's and my room, and started pawing at the screen like it wanted to come in. We freaked out. Kevin insisted we put on gloves. (It was 5 a.m. I'm not sure either of us were very with it.) We opened the door. The huge Newfoundland immediately rolled over in the snow onto its back, wanting me to pet its belly. We put it in a back bedroom and fed it some tortillas. When I left for school, I opened the door to find it standing smack-dab in the middle of the room just looking at me. He hadn't chewed anything. Hadn't barked. Hadn't even laid down. After I left, Kevin took it to the vet listed on its tag and found out his name was "Otto" and that he lived on our road.
We never saw Otto (or his GIANT pawprints) again and never heard from his owners. Sometimes I wonder if Otto was at our house that night to scare something or somebody off. Other times I think maybe he was just there to give us a weird, fun, awesome morning.
Now, back in Chicago, going through another tumultuous time, I occasionally get to spend time with a 175-pound, tall enough to look at me eye-to-eye, Mastiff named Otis who lives in the coach house behind us. It seems like on the nights I'm most frustrated or angry, Otis is out back waiting for me. He even settled down a spazzy Lucy tonight by snuggling up to her on the stairwell. Chris, Otis's "dad," described him to me as "therapeutic."
I think I'd take an enormous dog over a guardian angel any day. :)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Spring & Blogs - Kelly
This post might be a LITTLE premature, but it is definitely starting to feel like spring in Chicago! The sun is shining, the snow is melting, and people are starting to come out of winter hiding. :) I even wore a cute pair of ballet flats instead of my usual boots and tights combo yesterday! It's been a busy and fun winter, but I'm definitely ready for this transition to spring.
On another note, I wanted to share links to some of my favorite bloggers for all of you. Over the past year or two I've found a slew of blogs I check regularly, and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do!
Friday, March 5, 2010
"Lunch" at Bittersweet - Brady
Breakfast was in the apartment at 11. At 12:30, Kevin and I went to my favorite neighborhood spot, Bittersweet. Tell me this isn't the best "lunch" ever.
For me:
Raspberry jam tart
Homemade hot chocolate
For Kevin:
Hot-cross bun
Cafe au lait
For me:
Raspberry jam tart
Homemade hot chocolate
For Kevin:
Hot-cross bun
Cafe au lait
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin' - Brady
Kevin, Kelly, and I committed a few months ago to running the Indianapolis Mini Marathon at the beginning of May. Training officially started for us on March 1.
I can only speak for Kevin and myself because Kelly does her own training thing. But our plan is pretty chill. We ran the Indy Mini two years ago and 18 miles of the 2007 Chicago Marathon (they shut down the end of the race because of extreme heat). To train for both of those races, we ran twice, maybe three times, during the week (about an hour each time when we were marathon training and about 30 min to an hour each time for the mini) and then did progressively longer runs on the weekend. So, the first weekend of training we might run for 45 minutes. The next, we might run for an hour. And so on. We base all of our training on time rather than mileage, as we know more or less how fast we're completing each mile. We plan to supplement training this time with lots of yoga, which seems to pair really well with running.
Anyway, I'm really excited to be training for this. It gives me a little extra motivation to get outside in the progressively sunnier weather. I've noticed that if I can drag myself out of bed, there is really no better way to start a day than with an early morning run. In Chicago, I like to run for 15 minutes down Belmont to the lake, stand there and watch the ice melt or the sun rise for a minute or two, run back home, do some stretching, and then make coffee or tea. In Fort Wayne, Kevin and I try to run early Saturday before our 9:15 yoga class. It feels great to stretch out so well after training. And finally, in La Porte, I'm starting to use a jog as a break from the schoolwork I do while I'm alone at the house. My parents live right by a pretty little lake, so that's a perfect place to go for a run.
So that's my plan! Now you know more than you ever wanted to about a very amateur mini marathoner.
I can only speak for Kevin and myself because Kelly does her own training thing. But our plan is pretty chill. We ran the Indy Mini two years ago and 18 miles of the 2007 Chicago Marathon (they shut down the end of the race because of extreme heat). To train for both of those races, we ran twice, maybe three times, during the week (about an hour each time when we were marathon training and about 30 min to an hour each time for the mini) and then did progressively longer runs on the weekend. So, the first weekend of training we might run for 45 minutes. The next, we might run for an hour. And so on. We base all of our training on time rather than mileage, as we know more or less how fast we're completing each mile. We plan to supplement training this time with lots of yoga, which seems to pair really well with running.
Anyway, I'm really excited to be training for this. It gives me a little extra motivation to get outside in the progressively sunnier weather. I've noticed that if I can drag myself out of bed, there is really no better way to start a day than with an early morning run. In Chicago, I like to run for 15 minutes down Belmont to the lake, stand there and watch the ice melt or the sun rise for a minute or two, run back home, do some stretching, and then make coffee or tea. In Fort Wayne, Kevin and I try to run early Saturday before our 9:15 yoga class. It feels great to stretch out so well after training. And finally, in La Porte, I'm starting to use a jog as a break from the schoolwork I do while I'm alone at the house. My parents live right by a pretty little lake, so that's a perfect place to go for a run.
So that's my plan! Now you know more than you ever wanted to about a very amateur mini marathoner.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Winter Pros and Cons -Amy
Everyone is constantly talking about how much they hate winter and how much they are tired of it. I decided to dedicate a post to calling out the things that we all hate about winter, and also to reminding you of a few of the things you might actually miss when the sunshine arrives. Enjoy!
Things I HATE about winter:
The cold
Bad driving conditions
Thawing out my car
Having to make up school days
Having to wear boots to the gym
Forgetting my shoes and not realizing it until I get to the gym
Things I LOVE about winter
How the snow looks
Feeling like a live in a snowglobe
Snow Days (I enjoy them while they're happening even when I have to make them up!)
Having an excuse every once in awhile to stay in and be lazy
Getting the gunky snow out from around my tires (I'm a little obsessed with this, it's weird)
Comfort food (during, not after)
The holidays
2 hour delays (There is nothing wrong with them. They just rock. Pure and simple.)
Wearing boots
Winter clothes (I love layering... I am NOT a shorts and tank top kinda girl).
How much it makes us appreciate the warm and sunshine we get during the summer!
Stay warm! We're almost to spring!
Things I HATE about winter:
The cold
Bad driving conditions
Thawing out my car
Having to make up school days
Having to wear boots to the gym
Forgetting my shoes and not realizing it until I get to the gym
Things I LOVE about winter
How the snow looks
Feeling like a live in a snowglobe
Snow Days (I enjoy them while they're happening even when I have to make them up!)
Having an excuse every once in awhile to stay in and be lazy
Getting the gunky snow out from around my tires (I'm a little obsessed with this, it's weird)
Comfort food (during, not after)
The holidays
2 hour delays (There is nothing wrong with them. They just rock. Pure and simple.)
Wearing boots
Winter clothes (I love layering... I am NOT a shorts and tank top kinda girl).
How much it makes us appreciate the warm and sunshine we get during the summer!
Stay warm! We're almost to spring!
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