Well, we've had a lot of the "in sickness" around our house lately! Two weeks ago I came down with a cold that lasted for a good 8 days or so, and just as I was getting better Brad came down with the same symptoms... until he started to run a fever after a day or two. Not a cold... the flu!! And it wiped him out. He started running a fever Tuesday evening and didn't leave the house again until Saturday night! He's finally on the mend, but still has some fatigue and nasty coughing spells.
After a couple days of me feeling better, my cough worsened. Then Saturday I started running a fever... the flu finally got me too. We figure it's the swine flu because I got the seasonal flu vaccine three weeks ago (we called the student health center and they aren't having people come in to test, they're just treating it as the flu and recommending isolation, rest, and fluids). My fever broke this morning and I'm actually feeling pretty good. We're so ready to both get healthy! (and air out this apartment!)
Anyways, we just wanted to send out a quick update as to how we're doing. Hope you all are staying healthy and enjoying this beautiful weather!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
biking along the Katy Trail
Three Saturdays ago we had more fun adventures. I trained clients in the morning, then worked out, and then met Brad at Panera for breakfast. We decided we should take our bikes out, considering we still hadn't yet! What better time than a beautiful Saturday in October to go for a ride along the MO River?
We drove up to Rocheport, a quaint historic town along the river, unloaded the bikes from Brad's truck and hit the trail. We biked for a little over an hour, but between the MANY stops for snapping pictures, we probably didn't go too far! We ended with a snack at the little "trail-side" cafe. It was a beautiful day!
We drove up to Rocheport, a quaint historic town along the river, unloaded the bikes from Brad's truck and hit the trail. We biked for a little over an hour, but between the MANY stops for snapping pictures, we probably didn't go too far! We ended with a snack at the little "trail-side" cafe. It was a beautiful day!
Monday, October 26, 2009
taking time out...
Everybody nowadays seems to be crazy busy. Brad and I are, of course, no different. We've been running circles around eachother so much that we have a new goal: every Saturday morning go to Panera and just sit and talk for awhile. I know, it's tough, but somebody has to do it! :)
Three Saturdays ago I had two clients to train in the morning, and the fog was heavy on my way to the gym. I'd been wanting to take pictures of the fall foliage with the fog set in, so I called Brad and shared how upset I was that it was a beautiful morning and I had to spend the next two hours with clients! Sure enough, two hours later he met me at the gym with my camera, and we took off down the trail we run on. By that time, most of the fog had cleared, but there was still a little on the water. After our little hike we headed over to Panera for our Saturday morning ritual... it was a wonderful morning!
Three Saturdays ago I had two clients to train in the morning, and the fog was heavy on my way to the gym. I'd been wanting to take pictures of the fall foliage with the fog set in, so I called Brad and shared how upset I was that it was a beautiful morning and I had to spend the next two hours with clients! Sure enough, two hours later he met me at the gym with my camera, and we took off down the trail we run on. By that time, most of the fog had cleared, but there was still a little on the water. After our little hike we headed over to Panera for our Saturday morning ritual... it was a wonderful morning!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
our first Mizzou football game
We got some tickets from friends and made it out to the second home football game of the season (MU vs Furman). I was pretty excited because it was my first MU game, and actually, my first big football game ever (no, I don't consider Missouri State football to be "big"!). It was fun to be walking around campus and see all the tailgating along the streets and what not. It wasn't the most riveting game... we creamed them 52-12 (this was back when we were still winning, you see), but it was fun to be in on all the excitement- the MIZ - ZOU cheer and the cannons going off and all that stuff that really adds to the experience. All in all, it was a great first experience. Go Tigers!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
A Rambling Update
It's been awhile, but we're hoping to get back into regular blogging (as uneventful as our lives may be!). We can't believe it's August already! Brad is ready to get back to school, but I am not so much. Last week I finished up my online class, which was such a relief! Tomorrow I start orientation and training for my new GA spot with Jumpstart. I'm nervous and excited! I do that from 9-5, then meet up with my running group at 6. Wednesday I have more training from 9-12, then go straight to nanny from 12-5, and then am finally getting my hair cut (only my second time since we've been in Columbia!). Thursday afternoon we're heading down to Springfield to visit friends again. We thought we'd be down there so much more this summer, but it's just flown by so fast and we haven't been down since right after we got back from Italy! It'll be so good to see everyone again.
We're heading straight from Springfield to Chillicothe Sunday after church so Brad can play in a golf tournament with Johnie on Monday. It'll be good to head back up there, too! They had a blast at the last tournament, and even brought home a little money, and Brad is looking so forward to Monday!! We're hoping and praying Johnie will be healed and ready to go.
Tuesday we'll head back to Columbia and I have training all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then one more week before school starts!
Well that's all for now. Gotta go switch over laundry, finish icing my knees (we just got back from a late night jog around campus), shower, and head to bed!
We're heading straight from Springfield to Chillicothe Sunday after church so Brad can play in a golf tournament with Johnie on Monday. It'll be good to head back up there, too! They had a blast at the last tournament, and even brought home a little money, and Brad is looking so forward to Monday!! We're hoping and praying Johnie will be healed and ready to go.
Tuesday we'll head back to Columbia and I have training all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then one more week before school starts!
Well that's all for now. Gotta go switch over laundry, finish icing my knees (we just got back from a late night jog around campus), shower, and head to bed!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
more pictures!
Sorry it's taken so long, but we finally have all of our pictures up on Picasa (although I'm still working on the captions). Here are the links:
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| Barcelona, Spain |
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| Venice |
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| Week with Johnie and Dee |
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
highlights from our trip....
or more acurately, highlights from our trip so far. We know that there will be sooooo many more unforgettable moments to come from our week with Johnie and Dee! But while they're on our minds now, we thought we'd share some of the top highlights from our trip thus far:
* celebrating our second anniversary in Italy
* lots and lots of gelato
* touring Tuscan hilltowns
* hanging out in the gardens at Versailles
* dinner with Matt and Becca in Florence
* ferry ride on Lake Como
* picnicking in Paris
* hanging out with our group from MU every night
* our taxi hitting a chicken in the street when we were going 110 km/hr
* making our own real Italian pizza here in Asolo at a pizzeria
* watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night
* Nutella crepes
* sneaking rolls and Nutella packets from the dining room every Thursday morning to snack on over the weekend
* relaxing on the beach in Barcelona
* playing ping pong with MU guys every free moment possible!
* for me, these past weeks have been like a spiritual retreat. I've been free to spend hours and hours with the Lord without interruptions - no homework, no class, no jobs, no TV, etc- and needless to say, it has been such sweet time. I am so thankful that my God has bigger plans than I ever imagine. I didn't plan to leave Italy being so much closer to God than I was when I came, but by his grace that has happened. I also didn't plan that the highlights of my days in Asolo would be spent at his feet; rather, I thought they'd be of me walking around the cobblestone streets and sitting at cafes. But again, by his grace, his plans were so much greater than my own!
We're not really sure if we'll be able to blog at all over the next week, but once we get home we'll definitely put up pics and all from our week! We'll also post the pics from last weekend, which was spent in Barcelona, Spain. And I do believe that we have random pics from our days in Asolo that have yet to be posted. So, basically, there's much more to come!
* celebrating our second anniversary in Italy
* lots and lots of gelato
* touring Tuscan hilltowns
* hanging out in the gardens at Versailles
* dinner with Matt and Becca in Florence
* ferry ride on Lake Como
* picnicking in Paris
* hanging out with our group from MU every night
* our taxi hitting a chicken in the street when we were going 110 km/hr
* making our own real Italian pizza here in Asolo at a pizzeria
* watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night
* Nutella crepes
* sneaking rolls and Nutella packets from the dining room every Thursday morning to snack on over the weekend
* relaxing on the beach in Barcelona
* playing ping pong with MU guys every free moment possible!
* for me, these past weeks have been like a spiritual retreat. I've been free to spend hours and hours with the Lord without interruptions - no homework, no class, no jobs, no TV, etc- and needless to say, it has been such sweet time. I am so thankful that my God has bigger plans than I ever imagine. I didn't plan to leave Italy being so much closer to God than I was when I came, but by his grace that has happened. I also didn't plan that the highlights of my days in Asolo would be spent at his feet; rather, I thought they'd be of me walking around the cobblestone streets and sitting at cafes. But again, by his grace, his plans were so much greater than my own!
We're not really sure if we'll be able to blog at all over the next week, but once we get home we'll definitely put up pics and all from our week! We'll also post the pics from last weekend, which was spent in Barcelona, Spain. And I do believe that we have random pics from our days in Asolo that have yet to be posted. So, basically, there's much more to come!
can't wait for....
While our time here has been incredible, there are definitely some things we've missed. Most of all, our friends and family. We can't wait to get back and see everyone!!! But aside from the obvious, here's a list of what we're most excited to get home to:
* air conditioning
* salad dressing - it honestly is non-existent here. All you get is oil and vinegar!
* church
* our car
* peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
* washer and dryer - I will seriously be praising God as I do my first load of laundry when we get back!
* big showers
* grapenuts cereal
* sweatpants, for the few chilly nights we've had... some days its 90 and some nights its in the 50s!
* free public toilets
* CiCi's. This one is shameful, considering we're in Italy, the home of delicious pizza, but I can't help what Brad misses! :)
* air conditioning
* salad dressing - it honestly is non-existent here. All you get is oil and vinegar!
* church
* our car
* peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
* washer and dryer - I will seriously be praising God as I do my first load of laundry when we get back!
* big showers
* grapenuts cereal
* sweatpants, for the few chilly nights we've had... some days its 90 and some nights its in the 50s!
* free public toilets
* CiCi's. This one is shameful, considering we're in Italy, the home of delicious pizza, but I can't help what Brad misses! :)
how time flies....
After four very short weeks here, our time in Asolo is coming to a close. Tomorrow Brad and his class give their final presentations, class gets out at noon, and then we board a bus to the train station at one. We'll hop on a train down to Venice and will walk around the city for awhile and see St. Mark's Square and Basilica, and then we'll catch a night train from Venice to Rome a little before midnight.
When we arrive in Rome Friday morning, we'll head to the airport to pick up Johnie and Dee! We are so so so so excited to see them and spend a week backpacking through Italy with them!!! Here's what our itinerary will roughly resemble:
* Friday - pick them up at the airport in the morning, catch a train to Pompeii and see that for a few hours, then crash in a hotel in Sorrento
* Saturday - head up to Rome to see all the sights
* Sunday - continue sight-seeing in Rome
* Monday - in the morning head up to Pisa and then on up to Cinque Terre. Once there, relax, lay out, and swim in the Mediterranean
* Tuesday - hike along the coast to the various Cinque Terre towns
* Wednesday - head up to Lake Como, take a ferry to Menaggio, where we stayed our first weekend
* Thursday - sight-see around the lake; head that night to a hotel near Milan's airport
* Friday - fly home to reality!
When we arrive in Rome Friday morning, we'll head to the airport to pick up Johnie and Dee! We are so so so so excited to see them and spend a week backpacking through Italy with them!!! Here's what our itinerary will roughly resemble:
* Friday - pick them up at the airport in the morning, catch a train to Pompeii and see that for a few hours, then crash in a hotel in Sorrento
* Saturday - head up to Rome to see all the sights
* Sunday - continue sight-seeing in Rome
* Monday - in the morning head up to Pisa and then on up to Cinque Terre. Once there, relax, lay out, and swim in the Mediterranean
* Tuesday - hike along the coast to the various Cinque Terre towns
* Wednesday - head up to Lake Como, take a ferry to Menaggio, where we stayed our first weekend
* Thursday - sight-see around the lake; head that night to a hotel near Milan's airport
* Friday - fly home to reality!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
PARIS
We decided to do the blog for Paris a little differently this time. Once again, our pictures are all on Picasa, and the link is below. Feel free to leave comments on any pictures on Picasa, the same way you can with facebook. Thanks for all the comments so far... it is so great knowing that people are keeping up with us while we're here!
Alright, the top things from Paris:
* The Palace of Versailles and its gardens. We spent probably 5-6 hours just wandering around the place and could spend so many more.
* Nutella. Crepes. Amazing.
* So many free public gardens around Paris. They were all so charming and it was so cool to see so many people picnicking and reading, etc.
* There is a huge fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower, about the size of a football field, and anyone can get in it and play. So of course we kicked our shoes off and wadded around in it too for awhile, and then just sat back and relaxed, enjoying the view of the tower and all the people having a good time. It was the perfect break in the middle of our very busy day.
* Many, many pictures of the Eiffel Tower. I still don't think it's quite sunk in that we were in front of THE Eiffel Tower!
* Using the Metro line (subway) like Parisian pros. Except, of course, for the time we hopped off, realized it wasn't the stop we wanted, and then ran back on before its doors closed. Phew!
* Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night was pretty incredible. We have a video of it, but not sure how/when we'll get it on here!
* Dinner picnic in the Luxembourg gardens. Actually, it wasn't too much of a picnic. We had 4 euro left in our allotted food budget for the day, and we were both pretty hungry. We walked by a bakery and bought a foot long baguette for a euro, and then, after hoping and literally praying for a McDonalds, we actually came across one on our way to the garden! So, with 3 euro left we got 3 hamburgers to go with our huge baguette! It was quite a wonderful dinner. :)
* Lunch picnic in the garden in front of the Louvre on our last day. This time we found a deli sandwich on a baguette and a drink to split for 5 euro total. That left us with just enough to where we could each actually get our own Nutella crepe for one last great experience. Aaaah, until next time.
* Gorgeous weather. Sunny and 70s the entire weekend.
* Getting to speak French. "Oui" and "merci" and "pardon" are so much fun to say! The only bad thing is we would get so confused and say "si" for yes (Italian) and "grazie" for thank you (Italian) while we were there, and now we keep saying merci here! After we spend this next weekend in Spain we'll be SUPER confused!
* Celebrating our second anniversary in the City of Love. Yes, we do have some mushy pictures in this bunch, thanks to the self-timer function on our camera. But come on, how many times are you in Paris??!
http://picasaweb.google.com/AldenAdventures/Paris?feat=directlink
Alright, the top things from Paris:
* The Palace of Versailles and its gardens. We spent probably 5-6 hours just wandering around the place and could spend so many more.
* Nutella. Crepes. Amazing.
* So many free public gardens around Paris. They were all so charming and it was so cool to see so many people picnicking and reading, etc.
* There is a huge fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower, about the size of a football field, and anyone can get in it and play. So of course we kicked our shoes off and wadded around in it too for awhile, and then just sat back and relaxed, enjoying the view of the tower and all the people having a good time. It was the perfect break in the middle of our very busy day.
* Many, many pictures of the Eiffel Tower. I still don't think it's quite sunk in that we were in front of THE Eiffel Tower!
* Using the Metro line (subway) like Parisian pros. Except, of course, for the time we hopped off, realized it wasn't the stop we wanted, and then ran back on before its doors closed. Phew!
* Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night was pretty incredible. We have a video of it, but not sure how/when we'll get it on here!
* Dinner picnic in the Luxembourg gardens. Actually, it wasn't too much of a picnic. We had 4 euro left in our allotted food budget for the day, and we were both pretty hungry. We walked by a bakery and bought a foot long baguette for a euro, and then, after hoping and literally praying for a McDonalds, we actually came across one on our way to the garden! So, with 3 euro left we got 3 hamburgers to go with our huge baguette! It was quite a wonderful dinner. :)
* Lunch picnic in the garden in front of the Louvre on our last day. This time we found a deli sandwich on a baguette and a drink to split for 5 euro total. That left us with just enough to where we could each actually get our own Nutella crepe for one last great experience. Aaaah, until next time.
* Gorgeous weather. Sunny and 70s the entire weekend.
* Getting to speak French. "Oui" and "merci" and "pardon" are so much fun to say! The only bad thing is we would get so confused and say "si" for yes (Italian) and "grazie" for thank you (Italian) while we were there, and now we keep saying merci here! After we spend this next weekend in Spain we'll be SUPER confused!
* Celebrating our second anniversary in the City of Love. Yes, we do have some mushy pictures in this bunch, thanks to the self-timer function on our camera. But come on, how many times are you in Paris??!
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| Paris |
http://picasaweb.google.com/AldenAdventures/Paris?feat=directlink
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuscany
Last weekend was spent "under the Tuscan sun" and it was fantastico!
We took the train to Florence Thursday afternoon and got there pretty smoothly (we only almost missed our second train :) ), then wandered around in search of our hostel. For awhile we couldn't find any street signs and were getting so frustrated! We had no clue what road we were on or anything, and we knew the hostel was just a couple blocks from the train station but we didn't see any road signs! Finally we realized that they were all carved into the stone on the buildings at the street corners. Haha... once we had that figured out it went much more smoothly! :)
When we found the "street" our hostel was on we realized it was actually just an alley, and we got pretty nervous. It was our first hostel experience and we were expecting the worst. Well we've found that low expectations, when traveling anyways, are really the way to go, because most often you'll be pleasantly surprised. Our hostel was clean enough and we felt safe; plus, we got free breakfast, free dinner on weeknights, a free walking tour, and they had snacks and drinks for much much cheaper than they were out and about in Florence. All that for 20 euro per night per person!! Our room was a four person mixed room with a private bathroom; we slept in twin bunkbeds (I got top, Brad got bottom, haha!) and our roommates were two other American guys, who thankfully weren't scary or creepy (although it was very very weird to be sleeping in the same room as total strangers, especially ones of the opposite sex!).
After we dropped our things off at the hostel we met up with Matt and Becca, some friends of our's from college who happened to be on vacation as well. They had been in Florence for a couple days already so they picked out a place for dinner and we had a wonderful time visiting with them and then walking around Florence after dinner.
Saturday morning we got up early to beat the line for the Statue of David, and we were happy to get in after only waiting for 5 minutes or so. I wasn't able to get any pictures of the original, but they wouldn't have done it justice if I had. It is just so perfect. Every muscle, every proportion. It was also so cool to see "the prisoners," a couple rows of statues started but never finished by Michelangelo. We took it all in, but there wasn't really much to see in the gallery besides those statues. We went back to our hostel for breakfast and then went out on the free walking tour through the city. It was such a great tour because we learned so much that we wouldn't have known just walking around by ourselves. It lasted a couple hours, and afterwards we walked around some more on our own. We grabbed sandwiches from a little shop and had a picnic on the stairs of the Duomo, which was really fun to people watch! And then we made our way through the streets where the daily market of leather goods, textiles, etc are set up. We went on back to the hostel to plan out our next day and all, then grabbed a free and pretty tasty dinner while we were there. It was so nice to only have to buy one cheap meal all day long!!
Saturday morning we hopped on a bus down to Siena, one of the larger Tuscan hilltowns. We hung out and did some sight-seeing around there until 2, at which time we met our tour guides for a tour of some other hilltowns, specifically ones in the Chianti region, which is known for its wine so the fields are full of pretty vineyards. We went first to the tiny town of Vagliagli to take pictures from its 360 degree views. It was so beautiful! Unfortunately, because it was so bright outside I couldn't see really see how the pictures were coming out- turns out they were all a little overexposed. :( Oh well, I'll just have to rely on my memory for those views! From there we stopped in Radda, a town of about 1500 people and took a tour of the little town. I loved it!! It was a perfect little town completely unspoiled by tourism. After that we drove on down to an even smaller town - one with a population of only 14!! It too, though, was straight from a novel set back in the medieval times. Aaah we loved it! From there we went up to a vineyard for a winery tour. It was interesting to learn how the wine is made and all, but obviously Brad and I are not and will likely never be wine connoisseurs! We got back to Sienna after 7, and by the time we were able to get on the next bus and get back to Florence it was after 10. Long day! But we got to see so much so it was well worth it.
Sunday morning we decided we'd head back up near Asolo and see Verona, one of the cool smaller cities in the Veneto region (the same region as Asolo and Venice). We had a good time exploring it without feeling like we had to rush from sight to sight; it was much more relaxed traveling for sure!
Our weekend was great and our week is flying by!! We fly out to Paris tomorrow evening!!!
Hope you all are doing well; you're in our thoughts and prayers!
We took the train to Florence Thursday afternoon and got there pretty smoothly (we only almost missed our second train :) ), then wandered around in search of our hostel. For awhile we couldn't find any street signs and were getting so frustrated! We had no clue what road we were on or anything, and we knew the hostel was just a couple blocks from the train station but we didn't see any road signs! Finally we realized that they were all carved into the stone on the buildings at the street corners. Haha... once we had that figured out it went much more smoothly! :)
When we found the "street" our hostel was on we realized it was actually just an alley, and we got pretty nervous. It was our first hostel experience and we were expecting the worst. Well we've found that low expectations, when traveling anyways, are really the way to go, because most often you'll be pleasantly surprised. Our hostel was clean enough and we felt safe; plus, we got free breakfast, free dinner on weeknights, a free walking tour, and they had snacks and drinks for much much cheaper than they were out and about in Florence. All that for 20 euro per night per person!! Our room was a four person mixed room with a private bathroom; we slept in twin bunkbeds (I got top, Brad got bottom, haha!) and our roommates were two other American guys, who thankfully weren't scary or creepy (although it was very very weird to be sleeping in the same room as total strangers, especially ones of the opposite sex!).
After we dropped our things off at the hostel we met up with Matt and Becca, some friends of our's from college who happened to be on vacation as well. They had been in Florence for a couple days already so they picked out a place for dinner and we had a wonderful time visiting with them and then walking around Florence after dinner.
Saturday morning we got up early to beat the line for the Statue of David, and we were happy to get in after only waiting for 5 minutes or so. I wasn't able to get any pictures of the original, but they wouldn't have done it justice if I had. It is just so perfect. Every muscle, every proportion. It was also so cool to see "the prisoners," a couple rows of statues started but never finished by Michelangelo. We took it all in, but there wasn't really much to see in the gallery besides those statues. We went back to our hostel for breakfast and then went out on the free walking tour through the city. It was such a great tour because we learned so much that we wouldn't have known just walking around by ourselves. It lasted a couple hours, and afterwards we walked around some more on our own. We grabbed sandwiches from a little shop and had a picnic on the stairs of the Duomo, which was really fun to people watch! And then we made our way through the streets where the daily market of leather goods, textiles, etc are set up. We went on back to the hostel to plan out our next day and all, then grabbed a free and pretty tasty dinner while we were there. It was so nice to only have to buy one cheap meal all day long!!
Saturday morning we hopped on a bus down to Siena, one of the larger Tuscan hilltowns. We hung out and did some sight-seeing around there until 2, at which time we met our tour guides for a tour of some other hilltowns, specifically ones in the Chianti region, which is known for its wine so the fields are full of pretty vineyards. We went first to the tiny town of Vagliagli to take pictures from its 360 degree views. It was so beautiful! Unfortunately, because it was so bright outside I couldn't see really see how the pictures were coming out- turns out they were all a little overexposed. :( Oh well, I'll just have to rely on my memory for those views! From there we stopped in Radda, a town of about 1500 people and took a tour of the little town. I loved it!! It was a perfect little town completely unspoiled by tourism. After that we drove on down to an even smaller town - one with a population of only 14!! It too, though, was straight from a novel set back in the medieval times. Aaah we loved it! From there we went up to a vineyard for a winery tour. It was interesting to learn how the wine is made and all, but obviously Brad and I are not and will likely never be wine connoisseurs! We got back to Sienna after 7, and by the time we were able to get on the next bus and get back to Florence it was after 10. Long day! But we got to see so much so it was well worth it.
Sunday morning we decided we'd head back up near Asolo and see Verona, one of the cool smaller cities in the Veneto region (the same region as Asolo and Venice). We had a good time exploring it without feeling like we had to rush from sight to sight; it was much more relaxed traveling for sure!
Our weekend was great and our week is flying by!! We fly out to Paris tomorrow evening!!!
Hope you all are doing well; you're in our thoughts and prayers!
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| Florence |
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
a day in the life
Here is what a typical week day looks like for us:
Wake up at 7:30, head to breakfast (provided to us, in that room with the amazing views) around 8 or a little after. Brad has class from 9-12, then at 12:30 we have lunch (again, provided on campus) and then hang out until he goes back to class from 2-5. Dinner varies, and is also provided, but we go to different places in town and get served a standard meal there. For instance, Monday night we were all served grilled chicken and sliced baked potatoes. It's so nice to never have to worry about meals, and it's fun to be able to try different ristarontes in town without paying anything! After dinner we typically walk around, get gelato, and hang out until we head to bed.
And what do I do while Brad is in class? You'd be surprised at how fast the time flies... this morning, for instance, after breakfast I found a bench outside and read for an hour or so, then went up and did some laundry (more on that in a moment!), then worked out and showered, and all of a sudden it was noon and Brad was in the room! After lunch we went on a different hike with a friend in the hill country behind campus. Again, it was amazing, and I'll definitely be taking my camera out with me and snapping some more pics of it another day! After that Brad had to go back to class, and I went to work doing some more laundry, straightening up the room, checking email, researching things for this weekend's trip, and then it was five and Brad was back from class. We're getting ready to head out on another walk around town with friends until we have dinner at a pizzeria at 7.
So, about this whole laundry thing... most people here handwash their laundry. There aren't laundrymats in town, either. So we can either pay ten euro to have someone wash our clothes, in which case they get picked up Monday morning and are back to us Thursday, or we just handwash it ourselves in our room. We obviously have gone with the latter... not only is it cheaper, but we also didn't pack enough clothes to send off the dirty ones for three days! So Monday night as a group we went to the mall, which had a store similar to Wal-Mart in it, and picked up some essentials and laundry soap that is specifically for hand-washing. I had my first go at it yesterday... I just filled up the sink with a few shirts at a time and we strung up a clothesline in our room to hang them. It really wasn't all that bad, except for wringing them out. My hands were definitely rubbed raw!! But at least I got so much knocked out then, and now I just stay on top of it washing clothes as they get dirty a little at a time.
I would try to explain what Brad is learning in his class, but I wouldn't do it very well. All I really know is right now they're going over some method of decision-making in businesses. It seems to be going alright- he has a little bit of homework tonight, and they all nearly fall asleep in class in the afternoons, but they don't have any tests over the material they're going over now thankfully.
Tomorrow after Brad gets out of class at noon we get served sack lunches and sent out the door to travel! We'll be taking a train to Florence, and will hopefully be meeting up with Matt and Becca for dinner (they are on a vacation as well!). Friday we'll tour the city, Saturday we'll explore some Tuscan hilltowns, and Sunday we're not quite sure yet what we're doing. All we know is that we'll need to be back to the train station at 8 to catch the bus back to campus!
Hopefully I'll get a chance to put a few pics of our room and all up here before we go, but if not they'll have to wait until Monday.
Hope you all are doing well! Ciao!
Wake up at 7:30, head to breakfast (provided to us, in that room with the amazing views) around 8 or a little after. Brad has class from 9-12, then at 12:30 we have lunch (again, provided on campus) and then hang out until he goes back to class from 2-5. Dinner varies, and is also provided, but we go to different places in town and get served a standard meal there. For instance, Monday night we were all served grilled chicken and sliced baked potatoes. It's so nice to never have to worry about meals, and it's fun to be able to try different ristarontes in town without paying anything! After dinner we typically walk around, get gelato, and hang out until we head to bed.
And what do I do while Brad is in class? You'd be surprised at how fast the time flies... this morning, for instance, after breakfast I found a bench outside and read for an hour or so, then went up and did some laundry (more on that in a moment!), then worked out and showered, and all of a sudden it was noon and Brad was in the room! After lunch we went on a different hike with a friend in the hill country behind campus. Again, it was amazing, and I'll definitely be taking my camera out with me and snapping some more pics of it another day! After that Brad had to go back to class, and I went to work doing some more laundry, straightening up the room, checking email, researching things for this weekend's trip, and then it was five and Brad was back from class. We're getting ready to head out on another walk around town with friends until we have dinner at a pizzeria at 7.
So, about this whole laundry thing... most people here handwash their laundry. There aren't laundrymats in town, either. So we can either pay ten euro to have someone wash our clothes, in which case they get picked up Monday morning and are back to us Thursday, or we just handwash it ourselves in our room. We obviously have gone with the latter... not only is it cheaper, but we also didn't pack enough clothes to send off the dirty ones for three days! So Monday night as a group we went to the mall, which had a store similar to Wal-Mart in it, and picked up some essentials and laundry soap that is specifically for hand-washing. I had my first go at it yesterday... I just filled up the sink with a few shirts at a time and we strung up a clothesline in our room to hang them. It really wasn't all that bad, except for wringing them out. My hands were definitely rubbed raw!! But at least I got so much knocked out then, and now I just stay on top of it washing clothes as they get dirty a little at a time.
I would try to explain what Brad is learning in his class, but I wouldn't do it very well. All I really know is right now they're going over some method of decision-making in businesses. It seems to be going alright- he has a little bit of homework tonight, and they all nearly fall asleep in class in the afternoons, but they don't have any tests over the material they're going over now thankfully.
Tomorrow after Brad gets out of class at noon we get served sack lunches and sent out the door to travel! We'll be taking a train to Florence, and will hopefully be meeting up with Matt and Becca for dinner (they are on a vacation as well!). Friday we'll tour the city, Saturday we'll explore some Tuscan hilltowns, and Sunday we're not quite sure yet what we're doing. All we know is that we'll need to be back to the train station at 8 to catch the bus back to campus!
Hopefully I'll get a chance to put a few pics of our room and all up here before we go, but if not they'll have to wait until Monday.
Hope you all are doing well! Ciao!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Asolo
Sunday was quite a long day for us. We woke up and caught a bus from Menaggio to Como, which was fun because it took us through all the towns and we were able to see a bit more of them. From there we hopped on a train to Milan, after almost taking the wrong one, but were finally on our way. In Milan, we had to wait about 30 minutes to see which platform our next train would be assigned to... when we finally found out we made our way in that direction. A huge group of us were huddled close together for what seemed like forever while people got off of our train, and once we were able to we took off down the platform because we had quite a hike to make to get to the 7th car that we were assigned to. We finally got to our car and started to look for our seats, when some Italian jibberish was coming over the speakers and the other few people in our car started to grab the stuff and rush off. What was going on?!!? We grabbed our things and I asked one lady if she could translate for us, she said we had just been assigned to a different train! So we had to rush back down the platform and over to the other one and back down to car 7. We made it in time, but the whole thing caused a 20 minute delay, which made us miss our next train in Mestre (Venice) to Castelfranco, the closest town with a train station to Asolo. We had to take a later train once we got there, and when we finally arrived in Castelfranco we had to wait forever for a cab! At this point we were cutting it way too close to being there in time for orientation. A cab finally arrived, though, and rushed us over to Asolo with 8 minutes to spare!!!
It was such a long day... took us 8 hours total to get from Menaggio to Asolo! But it was so well worth it. It is so beautiful!! Yesterday we went for a hike on the trails back behind our "campus," and today I took my camera with me for an hour or two while Brad was in class and snapped away. These are the pictures from in and around Asolo!
http://picasaweb.google.com/AldenAdventures/Asolo?feat=directlink
It was such a long day... took us 8 hours total to get from Menaggio to Asolo! But it was so well worth it. It is so beautiful!! Yesterday we went for a hike on the trails back behind our "campus," and today I took my camera with me for an hour or two while Brad was in class and snapped away. These are the pictures from in and around Asolo!
 |
| Asolo |
http://picasaweb.google.com/AldenAdventures/Asolo?feat=directlink
Monday, May 18, 2009
3 flights, 5 trains, 4 ferries, 1 bus, 1 taxi...
... and we made it!
Buongiorno from Asolo, the breath-taking village we are so blessed to call home for the next four weeks. Before we get to our village, though, we have to back-track and fill you in on our incredible weekend!
After three long flights and a five hour layover, we made it to Milan/Malpensa airport Friday morning (Italy time, which is central time + 7 hours). We were so thankful that all of our flights were smooth, there were no delays, no screaming babies or otherwise loud passengers, and our luggage made it there! Speaking of luggage, we got everything that we need for five weeks in two travel backpacks!! Are we good or what?! Anyways, back to Milan...
From there we decided to take a train to Lake Como, which actually involved taking a train to one small station and then hopping onto a different one to get the rest of the way. When we got to Como it was rainy and chilly, and we were exhausted, cold, and hungry, not to mention we were hit hard with the realization that we knew no Italian and they knew very little English!!
We decided to recharge and grab lunch, which was also overwhelming because there were pizzerias and ristorantes galore! How to decide?! We finally got in out of the rain, got the load off our backs, and had our first authentic Italian meal - five-cheese pizza and lasanga. I know, I know, how adventurous of us, right? Well at this point we were so hungy we wanted something we knew we'd like! And boy was it good!
After lunch we hopped on a ferry from Como to Menaggio, where we'd be staying the next two nights. The ferry ride was unbelievable (this is according to Brad; I was out even though I tried so hard to stay awake!)... the towns along the lake there are so picturesque and really unlike anything we've ever seen. The pictures we have don't come close to doing it justice, it was just so amazing.
We were so happy to finally get to our hotel. It's location was absolutely perfect- it overlooked a little square that had gelaterias and cafes with lots of outdoor seating. So picturesque! Now some of you may be wondering what a gelateria is- ooooh are you missing out! It is a little shop full of different flavors of gelato, Italy's version of ice cream I guess is the best way to describe it. You all know how much Brad and I love ice cream!! One scoop on a cone is only one euro- it's pretty much the cheapest thing you can buy there! (which of course is how we justified eating so much of it!) Anyways, for now, back to our hotel- the location was perfect, but the hotel itself was pretty interesting. The check-in desk is actually in a different sister hotel, and to get to our rooms you had to walk through a little alley, use a key to unlock a wrought-iron gate that opens up to the back of a little Italian flower/decor shop, turn the corner to go up a flight of winding stairs that then led you outside this tiny square you walked around
until you reached yet another flight of winding stairs that led to the main door of our hotel's rooms (there were only 5 total!). Our room was pretty basic- everything we needed without any frills, and we shared a bathroom in the hall with another room. Once we figured out how to flush the toilet and lock our door (we had on old-fashioned skeleton key!) we were good. We were way too exhausted at the moment to get out and do anything, so we thought we'd take a short nap. haha... five hours later (8pm there) we managed to get up and see the town. We treated ourself to our first scoops of gelato for dinner and walked around for awhile. It was a wonderful ending to our long travels!!
Saturday morning we got up and searched for breakfast. We didn't want to get a big meal at a restaurant, so we found a local market and bought some fresh fruit and a carton of milk. Yum! We decided to go and check out the other little towns along the lake so we bought a day ferry pass and hopped on to Tremezzo. There we toured this beautiful mansion that was full of old artwork and sculptures and was well-known for its immaculate gardens. After the gardens we grabbed a burger, chips, and lemon slushie thing from a snack stand next door to split for a late lunch. We sat on a bench and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful views! We then walked around the town for awhile and then caught another ferry to Bellagio, one of the most perfect little towns we've ever seen! It was full of narrow streets lined with shops that climbed the hills and weaved all around. Again, there were so many gelaterias I just had to stop for some! I think it was at this time that I decided that every travel day we'd have to have gelato!
Not being quite sure of when the last ferry left, we headed back to Menaggio for the evening. We went on another stroll of the town, and we just relaxed - Brad sat on a bench and read while I went around taking pictures. It was so neat because there were people all over doing the same thing- just relaxing. The next morning we set out for another day of travel to Asolo, but considering how long this blog is, that'll just have to wait until next time.
This calm weekend was definitely what we needed after the crazy end to our semester and our long travels! Thanks for all of your prayers for our safety and travels. We wish you were here with us now!
It was easiest for us to put all of our pics on Picasa, so if you click on the picture below it will take you to them. If that doesn't work, the link is below.
http://picasaweb.google.com/AldenAdventures/LakeComo?feat=directlink
Buongiorno from Asolo, the breath-taking village we are so blessed to call home for the next four weeks. Before we get to our village, though, we have to back-track and fill you in on our incredible weekend!
After three long flights and a five hour layover, we made it to Milan/Malpensa airport Friday morning (Italy time, which is central time + 7 hours). We were so thankful that all of our flights were smooth, there were no delays, no screaming babies or otherwise loud passengers, and our luggage made it there! Speaking of luggage, we got everything that we need for five weeks in two travel backpacks!! Are we good or what?! Anyways, back to Milan...
From there we decided to take a train to Lake Como, which actually involved taking a train to one small station and then hopping onto a different one to get the rest of the way. When we got to Como it was rainy and chilly, and we were exhausted, cold, and hungry, not to mention we were hit hard with the realization that we knew no Italian and they knew very little English!!
We decided to recharge and grab lunch, which was also overwhelming because there were pizzerias and ristorantes galore! How to decide?! We finally got in out of the rain, got the load off our backs, and had our first authentic Italian meal - five-cheese pizza and lasanga. I know, I know, how adventurous of us, right? Well at this point we were so hungy we wanted something we knew we'd like! And boy was it good!
After lunch we hopped on a ferry from Como to Menaggio, where we'd be staying the next two nights. The ferry ride was unbelievable (this is according to Brad; I was out even though I tried so hard to stay awake!)... the towns along the lake there are so picturesque and really unlike anything we've ever seen. The pictures we have don't come close to doing it justice, it was just so amazing.
We were so happy to finally get to our hotel. It's location was absolutely perfect- it overlooked a little square that had gelaterias and cafes with lots of outdoor seating. So picturesque! Now some of you may be wondering what a gelateria is- ooooh are you missing out! It is a little shop full of different flavors of gelato, Italy's version of ice cream I guess is the best way to describe it. You all know how much Brad and I love ice cream!! One scoop on a cone is only one euro- it's pretty much the cheapest thing you can buy there! (which of course is how we justified eating so much of it!) Anyways, for now, back to our hotel- the location was perfect, but the hotel itself was pretty interesting. The check-in desk is actually in a different sister hotel, and to get to our rooms you had to walk through a little alley, use a key to unlock a wrought-iron gate that opens up to the back of a little Italian flower/decor shop, turn the corner to go up a flight of winding stairs that then led you outside this tiny square you walked around
until you reached yet another flight of winding stairs that led to the main door of our hotel's rooms (there were only 5 total!). Our room was pretty basic- everything we needed without any frills, and we shared a bathroom in the hall with another room. Once we figured out how to flush the toilet and lock our door (we had on old-fashioned skeleton key!) we were good. We were way too exhausted at the moment to get out and do anything, so we thought we'd take a short nap. haha... five hours later (8pm there) we managed to get up and see the town. We treated ourself to our first scoops of gelato for dinner and walked around for awhile. It was a wonderful ending to our long travels!!
Saturday morning we got up and searched for breakfast. We didn't want to get a big meal at a restaurant, so we found a local market and bought some fresh fruit and a carton of milk. Yum! We decided to go and check out the other little towns along the lake so we bought a day ferry pass and hopped on to Tremezzo. There we toured this beautiful mansion that was full of old artwork and sculptures and was well-known for its immaculate gardens. After the gardens we grabbed a burger, chips, and lemon slushie thing from a snack stand next door to split for a late lunch. We sat on a bench and enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful views! We then walked around the town for awhile and then caught another ferry to Bellagio, one of the most perfect little towns we've ever seen! It was full of narrow streets lined with shops that climbed the hills and weaved all around. Again, there were so many gelaterias I just had to stop for some! I think it was at this time that I decided that every travel day we'd have to have gelato!
Not being quite sure of when the last ferry left, we headed back to Menaggio for the evening. We went on another stroll of the town, and we just relaxed - Brad sat on a bench and read while I went around taking pictures. It was so neat because there were people all over doing the same thing- just relaxing. The next morning we set out for another day of travel to Asolo, but considering how long this blog is, that'll just have to wait until next time.
This calm weekend was definitely what we needed after the crazy end to our semester and our long travels! Thanks for all of your prayers for our safety and travels. We wish you were here with us now!
It was easiest for us to put all of our pics on Picasa, so if you click on the picture below it will take you to them. If that doesn't work, the link is below.
 |
| Lake Como |
http://picasaweb.google.com/AldenAdventures/LakeComo?feat=directlink
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
ready or not... HERE WE COME!!
After months of dreaming and planning and waiting, tomorrow morning we fly out to Italy!!
For those of you who don't know, Brad is taking a 4-week course in Asolo, a small town about 45 miles northwest of Venice. We'll be in Europe a total of 5 weeks, and every weekend we'll be trekking to a new place (Paris, Florence, Austrian Alps) with a final week-long blitz of the western coast of Italy, starting in Sorrento and heading up to the Cinque Terre and Milan.
We are so so thankful for this once in a lifetime opportunity, and are excited to share it with you all as we go. We may not be able to post pics on here, but we will definitely be blogging our adventures!
Now we're off to bed...
Until next time, ciao!
For those of you who don't know, Brad is taking a 4-week course in Asolo, a small town about 45 miles northwest of Venice. We'll be in Europe a total of 5 weeks, and every weekend we'll be trekking to a new place (Paris, Florence, Austrian Alps) with a final week-long blitz of the western coast of Italy, starting in Sorrento and heading up to the Cinque Terre and Milan.
We are so so thankful for this once in a lifetime opportunity, and are excited to share it with you all as we go. We may not be able to post pics on here, but we will definitely be blogging our adventures!
Now we're off to bed...
Until next time, ciao!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Great Flood
... well, not quite THE great flood, but a crazy one anyways.
Two Wednesdays ago it started raining, rained all night, and then stopped Thursday morning. I didn't think anything about it, until I drove to nanny Thursday and one of the main roads was closed. I had to turn around and go a different way, which took me by the gym I also work at. The parking lot was under probably 10 feet of water!! Later that evening Brad and I went back to take pics of it. Thankfully the water never reached the gym, but it did get within a couple feet.
Two Wednesdays ago it started raining, rained all night, and then stopped Thursday morning. I didn't think anything about it, until I drove to nanny Thursday and one of the main roads was closed. I had to turn around and go a different way, which took me by the gym I also work at. The parking lot was under probably 10 feet of water!! Later that evening Brad and I went back to take pics of it. Thankfully the water never reached the gym, but it did get within a couple feet.
Royals Game
A couple weeks ago we went to a Royal's game with all our KC friends. The game was great (we won!), the weather was perfect, but it wasn't the best experience ever... a couple of the people in our group waited in line for dollar hotdogs the ENTIRE game!!! We got in line right as the game started and didn't get seated until the third inning. We thought that was bad, until they got in line sometime during the first inning and never even made it to their seats! Then the fireworks show was cancelled due to the excessive winds. Oh well, at least we got to see the Meyers, Keiths, and Nunnallys!
The stadium looks awesome!
Our reaction to the fireworks show cancellation:
A great one of the guys:
The stadium looks awesome!
Our reaction to the fireworks show cancellation:
A great one of the guys:
Friday, April 24, 2009
as promised...
Sorry to keep you all in suspense (I'm sure you were just waiting on the edge of your seat!) :)
Our first pictures were taken a couple of months ago. I was heading to bed and noticed that there was something big under our window. I peeked between the blinds and there were two deer right there!! I ran and grabbed my camera and headed to the balcony. One was spooked be my being out there so she took off, but the other one didn't seem to mind at all!
The second deer ran to the trees and watched me... she was so still that she was hard to see!
A couple weeks ago I was walking in and saw 12 turkeys! I've never seen a turkey so close up before! You'll definitely want to zoom in on this one!
So maybe it's not too unusual to see deer and turkeys, but to see them right below you, and in the middle of a city, is pretty crazy to me!
We have lots more to post so please keep checking back!
Our first pictures were taken a couple of months ago. I was heading to bed and noticed that there was something big under our window. I peeked between the blinds and there were two deer right there!! I ran and grabbed my camera and headed to the balcony. One was spooked be my being out there so she took off, but the other one didn't seem to mind at all!
The second deer ran to the trees and watched me... she was so still that she was hard to see!
A couple weeks ago I was walking in and saw 12 turkeys! I've never seen a turkey so close up before! You'll definitely want to zoom in on this one!
So maybe it's not too unusual to see deer and turkeys, but to see them right below you, and in the middle of a city, is pretty crazy to me!
We have lots more to post so please keep checking back!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
our "backyard"
We took advantage of the beautiful weather Saturday and "worked outside." Most of you have probably heard us complain that one of the worst things about apartment living is we can't work outside - we don't have a yard to mow or gardens to weed or shops to piddle in. Yes, one day we might look back on these times and laugh about how we used to dream about doing yardwork, but for right now, this is something we feel we're missing out on.
So, while I was having my quiet time the other morning in the chair by the patio doors, I started thinking about what we could do to fix up our patio. And Saturday we went to work on it- we went out and bought the supplies and came back and I scrubbed the walls and floor and railing of the balcony (they were pretty gross) and then we planted our first flowers together. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures to document the day:
The before picture. (or in the middle of cleaning, if you couldn't tell!)
Our work space- the bed of the truck. (didn't want to get potting soil on newly cleaned patio floor, of course!)
And the after picture. (we bought too many flowers and didn't have enough room in the flower boxes. our solution? run to walmart and pick up a pot! haha!)
It's so funny how we baby these flowers. For the first couple days, when Brad or I would get home we'd first ask how our flowers are doing! And it's also funny that we each planted our own, and are totally babying our own flower box. Just this morning, Brad said he thinks he's going to water his. We refer to them as Brad's flower box and Kayla's flower box. I don't know why, but it cracks me up.
This morning was great, I went out and studied on the balcony and got to soak in the warm sun. It's so nice having our own, nice, pretty little space- or backyard, if you will!
Tune in next time for pictures on the various animals we've seen from our balcony!
So, while I was having my quiet time the other morning in the chair by the patio doors, I started thinking about what we could do to fix up our patio. And Saturday we went to work on it- we went out and bought the supplies and came back and I scrubbed the walls and floor and railing of the balcony (they were pretty gross) and then we planted our first flowers together. It was so much fun! Here are some pictures to document the day:
The before picture. (or in the middle of cleaning, if you couldn't tell!)
Our work space- the bed of the truck. (didn't want to get potting soil on newly cleaned patio floor, of course!)
And the after picture. (we bought too many flowers and didn't have enough room in the flower boxes. our solution? run to walmart and pick up a pot! haha!)
It's so funny how we baby these flowers. For the first couple days, when Brad or I would get home we'd first ask how our flowers are doing! And it's also funny that we each planted our own, and are totally babying our own flower box. Just this morning, Brad said he thinks he's going to water his. We refer to them as Brad's flower box and Kayla's flower box. I don't know why, but it cracks me up.
This morning was great, I went out and studied on the balcony and got to soak in the warm sun. It's so nice having our own, nice, pretty little space- or backyard, if you will!
Tune in next time for pictures on the various animals we've seen from our balcony!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Sidelined
Very much has happened between our last post and now. Where to begin?! It's definitely too much to put all in one blog, so I'll start with what's on my mind at the moment.
As most of you know, I've been running quite a lot lately. I'm signed up with Brad's parents and cousin for us all to do our first 5K in May, and I'm also planning on doing a half-marathon in KC in October. I've never in my life been a runner, so it's been challenging the past few months to start something I'm bad at and just trust that I'll get better. But it's also been so awesome to see my progression week to week... praise to God for designing the human body in the way He did! And now I actually enjoy going out for a run!
Here's where it turns bad, though. I pushed myself a little too far too fast. Back two weeks ago on a 5 mile run my knee was hurting from the beginning. Thinking you just push through the pain the same way you do with shin-splints or something, I just kept going. That was my first mistake; I couldn't walk or bend my leg for the rest of the week. Then last Saturday the pain was finally starting to lessen, and it was the last nice day in the forecast for awhile, so I went on a ten mile run. That was my second mistake. After that, not only could I not bend my leg, but my knee was also inflamed. It hurt so bad!! I finally went to the doc yesterday- I remembered that doctor visits on campus are free, and I got into a sports med doctor so that was really nice and convenient.
Here's the verdict: I have patellofemoral pain syndrome (AKA runner's knee) and prepatellar bursitis. She recommends I stay off it for 4-6 weeks, though I could slowly start back in only a couple more weeks. I also have to ice it multiple times a day and wrap it overnight. I am just so mad at myself - my pushing myself further just sidelined me for about a month. Not only can I not run, but I can't do squats or lunges or knee extensions either.
So why am I telling you all this? Yes, in part I may want sympathy (Brad is trying very hard to not feel sorry for me because he says I was stupid). But mostly I am telling you so you don't fall victim! Here are the basic rules of progression in running. Follow them, and you should be able to progress without getting any overuse injuries. First, increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week. Second, if you are doing any long runs, they should not be more than half of your weekly total. Some other general guidelines are to avoid concrete (sidewalks) whenever you can- trails and road are so much better on your joints, even if that means waking up early to run on the road (stay to the left side) before traffic.
Again, try hard to stick to these rules. I know it's hard, and you just want to push farther every time, but the last thing you want is to be hurt and then on the sideline for a month!!
We'll be updating more very soon!! Hope you haven't given up on our blog!
Have an EGG-cellent Easter! :) (couldn't resist)
As most of you know, I've been running quite a lot lately. I'm signed up with Brad's parents and cousin for us all to do our first 5K in May, and I'm also planning on doing a half-marathon in KC in October. I've never in my life been a runner, so it's been challenging the past few months to start something I'm bad at and just trust that I'll get better. But it's also been so awesome to see my progression week to week... praise to God for designing the human body in the way He did! And now I actually enjoy going out for a run!
Here's where it turns bad, though. I pushed myself a little too far too fast. Back two weeks ago on a 5 mile run my knee was hurting from the beginning. Thinking you just push through the pain the same way you do with shin-splints or something, I just kept going. That was my first mistake; I couldn't walk or bend my leg for the rest of the week. Then last Saturday the pain was finally starting to lessen, and it was the last nice day in the forecast for awhile, so I went on a ten mile run. That was my second mistake. After that, not only could I not bend my leg, but my knee was also inflamed. It hurt so bad!! I finally went to the doc yesterday- I remembered that doctor visits on campus are free, and I got into a sports med doctor so that was really nice and convenient.
Here's the verdict: I have patellofemoral pain syndrome (AKA runner's knee) and prepatellar bursitis. She recommends I stay off it for 4-6 weeks, though I could slowly start back in only a couple more weeks. I also have to ice it multiple times a day and wrap it overnight. I am just so mad at myself - my pushing myself further just sidelined me for about a month. Not only can I not run, but I can't do squats or lunges or knee extensions either.
So why am I telling you all this? Yes, in part I may want sympathy (Brad is trying very hard to not feel sorry for me because he says I was stupid). But mostly I am telling you so you don't fall victim! Here are the basic rules of progression in running. Follow them, and you should be able to progress without getting any overuse injuries. First, increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week. Second, if you are doing any long runs, they should not be more than half of your weekly total. Some other general guidelines are to avoid concrete (sidewalks) whenever you can- trails and road are so much better on your joints, even if that means waking up early to run on the road (stay to the left side) before traffic.
Again, try hard to stick to these rules. I know it's hard, and you just want to push farther every time, but the last thing you want is to be hurt and then on the sideline for a month!!
We'll be updating more very soon!! Hope you haven't given up on our blog!
Have an EGG-cellent Easter! :) (couldn't resist)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
And I have another job!!!
I am officially a personal trainer at the largest chain of gyms here in Columbia! I'll be working here in the mornings, and then nanny 2 afternoons a week, so it really works out great with my schedule. To be honest, I'm a little scared about being a personal trainer... it is something that will really take me out of my comfort zone, at first at least. But, health is something I am so passionate about, and now I can directly apply everything I learned in my exercise science education to real life! And that is so very exciting to me! YAY!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!!!
That's right!
I interviewed for a part-time nanny position last weekend. It's for an adorable 19 month old boy, and I was able to play with him for about half an hour after the interview and we had a really good time! His mom said they had more interviews this weekend, but she ended up calling yesterday to go ahead and offer the position because, "well, we just really love you and we'd love for you to work with Kingston!". I was super excited, but let her know that I had a couple more interviews today and asked if it was alright if I got back to her. I went to my interviews today (personal training and office support) and the office support position was offered to me, but just didn't seem like anything I'd enjoy at all. It's a lot of double checking written records and contacting different programs all the time. And the pay isn't near as good!
So, after a lot of praying and thinking and discussing with Brad, I went ahead and accepted the nanny position. I just absolutely love working with kids, and I can still do personal training on the side if that door opens up for me.
Thanks to all of you for all your prayers... God is so good and His provision is so perfect!
I interviewed for a part-time nanny position last weekend. It's for an adorable 19 month old boy, and I was able to play with him for about half an hour after the interview and we had a really good time! His mom said they had more interviews this weekend, but she ended up calling yesterday to go ahead and offer the position because, "well, we just really love you and we'd love for you to work with Kingston!". I was super excited, but let her know that I had a couple more interviews today and asked if it was alright if I got back to her. I went to my interviews today (personal training and office support) and the office support position was offered to me, but just didn't seem like anything I'd enjoy at all. It's a lot of double checking written records and contacting different programs all the time. And the pay isn't near as good!
So, after a lot of praying and thinking and discussing with Brad, I went ahead and accepted the nanny position. I just absolutely love working with kids, and I can still do personal training on the side if that door opens up for me.
Thanks to all of you for all your prayers... God is so good and His provision is so perfect!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Our New Home
We are finally settled in, and are loving our new apartment!!! We had our first overnight guests last weekend. Johnie and Dee came down Saturday night and after a delicious breakfast of cinammon rolls from the Corner Cafe, we (that is, Dee and I) really put them (that is, Johnie and Brad) to work. They got busy hanging up pictures and installing shelving and reinforcing our chairs and hooking up and hiding TV cables... everything looks so great!! Thanks Johnie and Dee for coming down and for all your help!!
We are having our next guests this weekend: Jason and Leslie are coming up to visit us and are staying the night Friday. It'll be so nice to see Springfield friends again!
We are having our next guests this weekend: Jason and Leslie are coming up to visit us and are staying the night Friday. It'll be so nice to see Springfield friends again!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
sunny afternoon on campus...
Friday was beautiful... 60s and sunny. We thought it would be the perfect time to get better acquainted with large and beautiful campus we will be calling home for the next two years. So we headed out the door with our new MU t-shirts (thanks Johnie and Dee!) and our camera in hand!
Brad's program is housed in a brand new, state-of-the-art building that is pretty awesome:
Here's my building. Enough said. :)
We love how beautiful the campus is... most of the buildings are really old and interesting!
The classic MU picture:
Brad's program is housed in a brand new, state-of-the-art building that is pretty awesome:
Here's my building. Enough said. :)
We love how beautiful the campus is... most of the buildings are really old and interesting!
The classic MU picture:
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