Archive | August, 2012

Registration Frustration

29 Aug

One of the things I’ve been looking forward to as we’ve been planning our wedding was creating our registry.  It’s like a free-for-all in the department store, right?

Mr. Dish, the computer whiz, quickly learned his way around the scanner.

It was not as fun as I thought it would be.  First off, the salesperson who helped us at Bed, Bath and Beyond gave us a little too much help.  I expected him to give us the scanner and say, “Have fun!  Let me know if you have any questions!”  Instead, he guided us around to every type of kitchen appliance and asked, “Do you need one of these?  Which one do you want?  Let me tell you about all of them.”  It got old pretty quick.  Finally I had to nicely ask if we could go it alone, and he obliged.  Things got better after that, but it was not the best way to start our registry adventure.

So many blenders!  So many knives!  So many decisions!  There were a few things I knew I wanted.  Like this:

The person who gets me this will get an extra slice of wedding cake.  (Image via keurig.com)

Mr. Dish and I kept a list of things neither of us had in the kitchen, so when it came time to register we would have a list of tools/appliances we needed.  You know how many things were on that list?  Seven.  You know how many gifts we need?  A lot more than that!

We ended up with about 50 gifts on our registry (and a headache) after three hours of shopping.  We still need to register for dinnerware, which I have been obsessing over for the past week.  Of all the things I’ve daydreamed about, the pattern of my dinner plates was not one of them!  (Since we already have a set of vintage china, we decided to register for a set of everyday dinnerware… if we I can find one we I like.)

I know there are more things we need, but every time I look at the checklists I just get overwhelmed and decide I’d rather do something else.  Like vacuum.  Or paint my nails.

I’m also toying around with the idea of a honeymoon registry.  Because Mr. Dish and I have lived on our own for so long, we don’t need as many things as a couple fresh out of college would.  We are splurging on our honeymoon, (HAWAII!!!) and there are lots of things we would like to do while we’re there.

Has anyone out there done a honeymoon registry?  Any advice to help me through the endless maze of house-ware horrors?

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Mailbox Musings

28 Aug

…just before I popped them in the mail!

I’ve said this several times in describing wedding planning:  With each task I complete, with each decision I make, even with each check I write… it all feels more real.  It’s one thing to dream about your wedding, as countless girls have done (myself included) since the beginning of time.  It’s quite another to actually do it.  The period of anticipation between knowing it will happen and the event itself is so short that I’m trying to soak up every second of my time as a “bride to be.”  While the wedding feels far away now (221 days, but who’s counting?) I know soon I’ll be a “wife” instead of a bride, and the wedding will be over.  Anticipation will be replaced with what I hope will be happiness and contentment.

Several milestones along the way have helped me visualize the day and made it feel “real.”  The day we booked our venue (we not only had a place – we had a wedding anniversary!), the day I bought my dress (which I’ve dreamed about since I knew what a wedding was) and booking our honeymoon, to name a few.

I hadn’t expected to feel such a sensation of finality when I placed the above pile of Save the Date cards in the mail.  I’ve spent the past few weeks gathering addresses and working on my penmanship.  I lost track of how many revisions of the Save the Dates I went through in the designing process, and I triple checked everything for accuracy.  I triple checked our wedding website, since the link is listed on the cards.

But still, I had a moment of shock when I let go of the cards and released the heavy mailbox handle.  PANIC!  It’s out of my hands!  Our hard work is now available for other people’s judgment.  PANIC!  What if I missed something?  PANIC!

After my panic attack by the mailbox subsided, I took a deep breath.  Not “other people’s judgment.”  Other people’s enjoyment.  These are our loved ones.  Plus, I love the work we’ve done so far.  I feel proud and excited when I think about all the components coming together.  I don’t feel luke-warm about a single decision we’ve made.

It’s not the first mile stone, nor will it be the first panic attack.  Without fear of missteps or mistakes, I say… ONWARD!

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Dish Read: Gone Girl

27 Aug

Put this on your MUST READ list. (Image via usatoday.com)

Calling this book a “page turner” doesn’t really cut it.  I read this book in about 2.5 days.  By the time I finished Gillian Flynn’s 419 page thriller my sink was full of dirty dishes, the laundry pile was overflowing (more than usual) and on one of those days I was almost late to work because “I know I should have left five minutes ago but I just need to finish this chapter!!!”

I was obsessed.  I heard buzz about this novel as one of the summer’s hottest reads, but I finally picked it up after I read Mama Dish’s rave review.  (You can read it, too – here!)  Mama Dish is usually NOT one for psychological thrillers and who-dunnit murder mysteries.  So when she wrote so glowingly about it, I had to check it out.  Because I AM one for psychological thrillers and who-dunnit murder mysteries!

As Mama Dish said, this is a tricky review to write because I don’t want to give away too much!  The book opens on Amy and Nick Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary.  Amy has gone missing.  Overturned and broken furniture… signs of a struggle… are found in their home.  Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect.  So Nick begins his own investigation of sorts.  Because it is their anniversary, Amy has left behind her yearly treasure hunt for her husband, leading to his gift.  Nick knows he has to figure out her clues as he has done every year… especially this time.

The story is told from two points of view: Nick narrates beginning the day Amy goes missing.  Amy narrates through diary entries documenting the couple’s tumultuous relationship leading up to her disappearance.  Along the way, the reader finds out some dark and disturbing things about Nick and Amy’s marriage.

Another fun twist: a co-worker and I were reading this book at the same time.  So I would come into work and we would say things like, “I can’t believe blah blah blah happened!” or “I totally did NOT see blah blah blah coming!” or, “I was up until 2:00 a.m. reading this darn book!”

Gone Girl is the best book I’ve read in a long time.  It’s also one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read.  On the bright side, this novel sets the marriage bar pretty low.  So by Nick and Amy Dunne’s standards, Mr. Dish and I are doing pretty darn good!

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“Eat Your Brussels Sprouts!”

23 Aug

I can hear Papa Dish shouting at me now.  Brussels sprouts are his favorite vegetable.  Sadly they are one of the few veggies I have never liked.

I like cabbage! Why can’t I like baby cabbages??

Last week I saw a brussels sprouts recipe that looked too good not to try.   It was a Freshly Pressed blog entry by Lattes and Leggings, as a matter of fact.  Since the sprouts rarely look appetizing to me, I knew I had to make it: Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Lemon.

Lemon, pistachios, garlic, shallot.

I’ve never liked the texture of whole brussels sprouts, so when this recipe told me to trim the ends and quarter them, I thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”  Papa Dish had always eaten them whole, and so it never occurred to me to do anything else to them!

Chopped.

Sauteing the sprouts in EVOO for a few minutes gave them the perfect texture.  Not too soggy, not too firm.

The pistachios added a nice crunch and the lemon juice brightened up the whole dish.  (I used one lemon and the taste wasn’t that noticeable.  If you’re a lemon fan, I would add more!)

The final dish is delectable.  I can’t believe I’m about to write this, but… I couldn’t get enough brussels sprouts!

From Brussels, with love.

I will most definitely make this one again.  A big thanks to Jen from Lattes and Leggings for this recipe!  It has definitely changed my sprouts sentiment!

Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Lemon

From Lattes and Leggings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
juice of 1 small lemon

Directions
In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the brussels sprouts, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pistachios and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes until the brussels sprouts soften. Add the lemon juice and stir. Remove pan from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl.

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Top Five Things I Liked About High Fidelity

22 Aug

This is one of those, “I can’t BELIEVE you’ve never seen that!” movies.  No one has ever made me watch it and I admit it – I never really knew what it was about.  So this weekend, Mr. Dish finally made me watch it.  I’m so glad he did!  In honor of one of the movie’s themes, here’s a Top Five list from yours truly!

Image via forbookssake.net

1.  It’s full of lists.  I love lists!  I constantly have some kind of ongoing shopping or to-do list in my iPhone.  I also enjoy writing list blog entries.  Rob’s lists also made for great conversation and reflection.  It was kind of fun running through our own “Top Five Most Epic Break-ups”… now that they’re over!

2. It’s about relationships from a guy’s perspective.  Girls are always trying to get into guys’ heads.  This movie didn’t just tell the story of a break-up, it dissected it down to the very emotional baggage that was picked up when Rob was a teenager!  After all the times I’ve thought to myself, “UGH!  What was he THINKING?” …watching this movie felt like a guilty pleasure.

3. Jack Black.  

Image via sallyy13.wordpress.com

He did not disappoint as the plucky sidekick just waiting to throw out a zinger.  Hilarious.  Sure, he’s had some flops over the years.  But 9 times out of 10, adding Jack Black to a movie only makes it better. (Honorable mentions go to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lisa Bonet.)

4.  I didn’t like Laura.  I know, at first this was a bad thing.  When the movie ended, I said to Mr. Dish, “But I don’t like her!  I don’t want him to end up with her!”

One look at those BANGS and I knew I was going to have an issue with this girl. (Image via rottentomatoes.com)

Rob was made out to be a doormat, and I didn’t like it.  After some discussion, though, I realized that it made the scenario more real.  They both did some stupid things to break the relationship and in the end they were both willing to do the work to repair it.  (Even though I still get the heebie jeebies when I think about her running off with Ian.  EW!)  If she was Little Miss Perfect, it would have been a no-brainer.  But he wasn’t exactly Mr. Perfect either.

5.  It’s a book.  By Nick Hornby.  It may very well be a Dish Read in the near future!

Image via amazon.com

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Life After Bridal Dishcamp

21 Aug

Since I’m currently in the middle of an exercise hiatus, it’s time to do the write up I’ve been putting off for a while.  Not because I didn’t want to write it… I’ve just been waiting for the right time.

It’s been about two months month since Kerry and I wrapped up our training with Greg at Greg Works Fitness.  I must apologize, since I kind of left you hanging by waiting so long to post the final results.  That being said, I’ve also had some time to reflect on the results and the impact the training has had on my own fitness routine.

One final look at the gun show!

Kerry lost an amazing 12% body fat and a total of 19″!  She lost 6″ alone in her waist!  Just a few days after we took the above picture, Kerry walked down the aisle and married the love of her life.

A gorgeous Pocono setting. (Image via Dolci Momenti Photography.)

Officially Mr. and Mrs.! (Image via Dolci Momenti Photography)

Work that gown, girl! (Image via Dolci Momenti Photography)

Out of control beautiful, right?

As for me, I lost a total of 6% body fat and 8.”  This is by far the most strength training I’ve ever done and I was really surprised at how much I was able to do.  So the big question you’re probably wondering:  Have you turned into a couch potato since bootcamp?

Well, anyone who knows me knows I wasn’t a couch potato before bootcamp.  Am I still doing the strength training with the same intensity on my own?  I’m going to be honest and say NO.  But I haven’t stopped completely.  Once a week I still do a really intense class with weights at the gym.  I’ve also been incorporating more yoga.  During bootcamp I gave up yoga and I really missed it.  Yoga is often underestimated and I definitely consider it strength training, with the added benefit of stretching and meditation.  (Much of this has been put on hold due to my knee injury.  I hope to return to my regularly scheduled workouts soon!)

Bootcamp also ended at a somewhat convenient time for me because I’m now getting into the higher mileage portion of my marathon training.  I can focus more on getting my long runs in and complimenting my training with weights and yoga.

Overall, I really loved my experience with Greg.  Will I go back to bootcamp right before I get married?  I’m really not sure.  While I want to look my best on my wedding day, I’m not going for a major transformation.  (Nor does Mr. Dish want me to.)  I feel good now.  I feel fit now.  If I can maintain my strength and fitness through the fall and winter, I’m good.

I am grateful to have gained new insight into strength training and nutrition, thanks to our dishcamp leader, Greg.  Being a superfit bride like Kerry is a lot of work… but Greg showed us it can be a lot of fun, too!

Thank you, Greg!

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X-Ray: Negative. Outlook: Positive.

17 Aug

So I finally got my knee looked at by a medical professional.  My old, inexperienced runner self would have just said, “Well, I can walk on it, I’m sure it’s fine.”  But my wiser, weathered self prevailed here.  I needed to do something.  The orthopedic appointment I made for NEXT MONTH wasn’t cutting it.

First of all, I swear the physician’s assistant who saw me was Elliot Reed, from Scrubs.  Mr. Dish loves this show as much as I do, so I immediately texted him when she left the room, in hopes that he would talk me out of calling her “Blonde Doctor” when she returned.  (He wasn’t much help.)

“So help me Turk, if this patient calls me ‘Goldilocks’ one more time…” (Image via fanpop.com)

Then a goatee’d version of Dr. Kelso came in and gave me a tetanus shot… but not before telling me how heinous of a disease tetanus is, and how “back in his day” these shots used to have all kinds of crazy side effects.  A Kelso rant if I ever heard one.

Image via tvguide.com

After Blonde Doctor poked and prodded at my knee for a bit to check my range of motion, I was taken back for an X-ray.  No fractures, no chips, no major swelling to warrant an MRI at this point, she said.  Probably just a contusion. I was relieved, and while my knee still hurts, I felt better that I did something about it.  If it’s still bad in a few weeks, I do have my ortho appointment already set up.

While I was disappointed I didn’t run into a JD doppelganger during my visit, I was in and out of there in an hour.  I actually packed snacks in anticipation of a 2-3 hour wait!

So with instructions to wrap, rest and ice, I was on my way.  My clear X-ray gave me the confidence to try some yoga and more intense stretching for the first time since the fall.  Running is out of the question for this weekend, but at least I have some peace of mind.

“I can’t do this all on my own.  No, I know, I’m no superman.”

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Fair and SquareTrade

16 Aug

It’s been five days since the wipeout.  Two things got seriously mangled: my right knee and my iPhone.

CRUNCH!

My knee… well I don’t even want to talk about that.  I’ll spare you the gore by NOT posting a picture of it.  But I’m very happy to report that by Wednesday at 1 p.m. I had myself a brand new, intact iPhone at my doorstep.  Since I knew it would only be a matter of time before I made a klutz move like this one, I insured my phone through SquareTrade.  I’m so glad I did, because I’d be using my cracked phone for quite some time otherwise.  (It worked surprisingly well after the fall.  It just looked ugly.)

A fall-proof Otter Box case is also on the way for my replacement iPhone.  I resisted the big, clunky case at first, but now I know that if I’m going to be running with my phone, I need better protection.

As for my knee, I’m still in pain.  I’m hoping to have a more positive update on that in the next few days.  I’m trying to take things one day at a time and not worry about certain races down the road just yet.

Do they make people-sized Otter Boxes?

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Dish Read: Carry the One

14 Aug

Image via Goodreads.com

“Carry the One,” by Carol Anshaw has one of the most epic opening chapters of a novel I’ve ever read.  At the end of Chapter 1 I sat up in my beach chair, turned to Mr. Dish and said, “Listen to what JUST happened in this book!”

It begins at a wedding.  Carmen gets married, and her brother and sister are each “enjoying” the festivities in their own way.  At the end of the night, some of the guests pile into a car, with a driver who has no business being behind the wheel.  Their car hits a 10-year-old girl, killing her.

The book follows the lives of the characters after the accident.  Anshaw takes us through the ups and downs with Carmen, her sister, Alice, and her brother, Nick.

Alice is an artist and expresses her grief and guilt through her paintings in a haunting and beautiful way.  The troubled artist seems to be the glue that holds the family together.

“Because of the accident,” Alice observes, “we’re not just separate numbers. When you add us up, you always have to carry the one.”

Carmen is the responsible one, the headstrong social activist, the mother, the one who settles for a lack-luster marriage.  She has little tolerance for her drug-addict brother.

Nick goes through periods of sobriety, but always turns back to drugs and alcohol when things don’t go his way.  Alice is the one who is there to pick him up, dust him off, and ship him off to rehab.  Carmen is only there for him because she loves her sister.

This book took me a while to finish but I kept going back for more because I loved the characters so much.  Anshaw gives the reader a clear and honest look at what the accident did to this family.  The writing was concise and compelling.

My only complaint was the end.  I guess I felt it was a little anticlimactic, in contrast with the mile-a-minute beginning.  But maybe that’s what Anshaw was going for in leaving the book somewhat open-ended.  The characters spent a lifetime repenting for one mistake, without ever feeling their debt was truly repaid.

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WIPEOUT!

13 Aug

I wish my landing had been this soft.  (Image via reporter.blogs.com)

Unfortunately I’m not talking about ABC’s ridiculous obstacle course show.  That kind of wipeout seems a lot more fun than the kind I experienced this weekend.

I set out on a 17 miler yesterday, my longest run this year.  I was up before the sun, and a cool breeze greeted me at the door.  I was starting off at a good pace and feeling good about life.

Then, about 6 miles in… it happened.  I stepped to the right to avoid a hubcap on the side of the road… and stepped directly into what I can only describe as a frisbee-sized loop of wire.  A booby trap if I ever saw one.  I half expected to be pulled up into a net.  Instead, I went down, and I went down hard.

My right arm, which broke my fall, popped back violently towards my torso.  My first thought was that I dislocated my shoulder.  My right leg was covered… thigh to ankle… in dirt, gravel, and blood.  My knee went numb.  My iPhone, which I had been holding in my left hand (listening to Preston and Steve again), went face down onto the ground, shattering the screen.

I laid there grimacing for a few seconds, until I noticed a horrified girl – another runner – looking at me, asking if I was OK.  I slowly took inventory.

  • Move right arm in a circular motion: Miraculously, no pain.
  • Move to a seated position and assess right leg: Blood.  Lots of blood.
  • Move to a standing position: Painful, but OK.
  • Bend right knee:  Stinging pain from road rash, but surprisingly not bad.
  • Pick up iPhone:  Broken screen, but still playing audio like nothing had happened.

The girl and I walked for a few steps, and she waited with me while I used my small sweat towel to wipe the dirt and blood from my leg.  The worst pain came from the cuts on my knee.  ’Tis merely a flesh wound!  Rather than calling Mr. Dish to come rescue me, I began to jog… then run back home.  The sweet (and probably traumatized) girl stayed with me until I was walking again, then ran ahead to get to her shift at a local restaurant on time.  (If by chance, you’re reading this – good luck in the Disney World Marathon!  Pack warm clothes!)

I was mad, and that made me want to finish the run even more.  I was aware of the pain in my leg, but it didn’t change my stride.  I got funny looks from passersby, probably because of my blood-soaked knee and towel, but I didn’t care.  I was tougher than the fall.

At 14 miles I called it quits.  Mr. Dish found me sitting on the deck, took one look at me and said, “Uh oh.”  He quickly left and returned with an ice pack, and told me I was a warrior.  (Compliments work almost as good as Ibuprofen.)

More than 24 hours later, my leg is bandaged and it is throbbing.  It hurts to stand, sit, or leave it in one position for too long.  The muscles are screaming, begging to be stretched but the cuts on my knee suggest otherwise.  I’ve asked myself over and over, “Would it hurt this bad if I had just called for a ride?”  But it’s too late to play that game now.

I’m trying not to think too hard about what this could mean for Steamtown.  Walking is a challenge.  Stairs are painful.  I’ve decided to give it two days and then call the professionals if there’s no improvement.  (I’m writing this so I will actually DO it.)

In the meantime, I’m thinking of workouts I can do without utilizing my leg, and praying this isn’t the beginning of a long and painful recovery.

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