10K at 30 Weeks!

On Saturday morning I joined 6,000+ other women for the NYRR Circle of Friends Mini 10K. It's always inspiring to run in a women-only event, but even more so at 7+ months pregnant! Throughout the morning I received congrats and compliments from my fellow "competitors". All of the extra moral support--and the physical boost from my new Medela bump-belt, which worked wonders to protect my abs and pelvis--made running those 6.2 miles a breeze. (Yes, I did stop for all water breaks and yes, I did run extremely easy!)

It's always going to be hard for me to enter a race and not really "race", but having the company of Keren (who did awesome in her first official 10K! ) and her co-worker, Michelle, kept me relaxed instead of worrying about how far back in the crowd we were. There will come a time when I can worry about pace and place again, but for now, it's all about having fun. And that we did: After crossing the finish line and collecting our medals and pink carnations, we hung around to watch the elites collect their loot and got a quick breafkast at an UES cafe. All that and I was home by 11:30 in time to head up to Ramsey for Mark's golf lesson. More on that later...

Hands On

While you can usually walk the streets of NYC (or Hoboken, whatever the case may be) as a virtual unknown amongst the crowds, the tides definitely turn when you're sporting either an injury (crutches, cast, etc.) or a baby bump. Suddenly, it's like there's a spotlight on you as you walk down the street, drawing out the stares, smiles, and general odd-ball behavior from passerby.

I remember Bec having some funny incidents when she was hobbling around with her stress fracture a couple years back, and now I've started to experience some myself. There are the comments ("God bless you and your baby!" Or, my favorite, "Another one?" when I was pushing Sam around the other day). There are the unsolicited stories: One woman told me how awful of a month August is to have a baby--she had hers in August, you know, and swelled up like a whale and spent two nights in the hospital due to dehydration.

And then there's the whole belly-touching-by-strangers bit. I was warned this would happen, but didn't think New Yorkers had it in them to just randomly touch my stomach. But that was until today, when the hands of a Starbuck's barista landed firmly on my bump. If she wasn't a sweet-seeming grandma type, I may have thrown my decaf iced mocha right back at her. I go to that Stbx all the time, so let's just hope she doesn't make reaching-out-and-touching me a habit!

Running Again

Though I was complaining about feeling extra-tired after Tuesday night's run, by the end of the day yesterday I was back to my normal self. So I decided to join Keren at Saturday's Circle of Friends Mini 10K in Central Park. (Don't worry, I'm not planning on running all 6.2 miles. It'll be more of a run/walk to the finish line). This is a great all-women's race that I've done before and really enjoyed; plus, Deena K. is headlining the pro-field, so it'll be cool to be among the throngs of runners streaming in to the finish area well after she and the rest of the elites do.

It's Keren's first race in the park and her first glimpse of competition before she and Mark brave the chilly waters in Staten Island for their 6/28 sprint tri (a precursor to the NYC race, which, unfortunately we'll both be missing this year for obvious reasons...Baby F & A & K's wedding!). While I definitely have the itch to compete these days, I'm very happy to support my friends and fam in their own endeavors. Next year I'll be back at it!

Rainy Day

Finding it hard to get motivation today. I think it's the weather. Gloomy and wet. Ugh. Yesterday--a lovely summery day--I spent indoors at the Starbucks around the corner working on a story about STDs (for teen girls). It was well worth it because the story turned out decent, but I would have loved to be outside! At least I did get a chance to enjoy the sunset along the West Side Highway for the Urban Run. Did 30 minutes last night, and am a bit sore today as a result. I felt fine during the run, but afterwards my body was responding like I'd just completed a half-marathon. Just don't think this belly's made for running anymore....

Spending the day with Sam, so hopefully the skies will clear and we can take at least one of our many walks!

good weekend

We had a great, low-key weekend. It's one of only a few that we'll actually be at home this summer (until August, that is!), so Mark and I took advantage of the down time. We watched some NetFlix (Into the Wild and 310 to Yuma), did some work (column crunch-time for me), frequented our fave 'Boken spots for B and L, and even headed up to New Paltz on Saturday afternoon/evening. Mark discovered a great 9-hole golf course neslted among apple orchards, and while he putted away, Karl and I had a nice lunch at the bakery in town. Then we all drove over to Rose Lane, where Bec and John gave us a tour of their beautiful house that is very near completion. It was my first time seeing the site as more than just a pile of plywood, and I was completely amazed at all of the work and creativity put into the structure. It's going to be a gorgeous home, as many of you will see in October at their wedding!

Amidst a downpour, we then drove a bit more to the Brauhaus (sp?) near Mohonk for a fun dinner before heading back home. Sunday was spent writing and watching the always-adorable Sam for a couple of hours.

One year as a freelancer!

It's so lovely to wake up on a Monday morning with the sun streaming into my bedroom and the air crisp and cool (we still don't have A/C so the windows are wide open) knowing that in just a few hours I'm going to see Sex and the City! Hah! As most rat-racers are slogging their way into work this morning, I'm already at my office (AKA the living room), doing some work before heading over to Battery Park to meet up with Leezie, Karl, and Bec for an 11:30 showing. It's been exactly one year since my freelance career began, and I must say that I definitely made the right decision. Not because I can see movies in the middle of the day (though I admit, that's an excellent perk), but more so in that I am doing exactly what I want to be doing (writing and editing), when I want to do it (all hours of the night!), without the unnecessary stress of a boss or the typical and very aggravating co-worker competition.

So, happy anniversary to me! And instead of gifting myself with a Tiffany's pin (which was the one-year prezzie from my last employer), I'm celebrating with something ten-times better: Yup, the movies with my sisters! :)

Wassner News

In today's issue of the Frederick Post, there's a great story about Laurel. Check it out and be inspired!

In other news, I'm taking the day to get some work done at Chelsea Piers. I met Bec this morning for an impromtu workout--she took me through some back exercises, then we hit the elliptical for 30 minutes and ran a mile around the track. Funny that the only time I have any hope of keeping up with her is when she's completely zapped and dehydrated! (She's still recovering from the nasty bug she picked up in Madrid). But, considering my own physical limitations (aka the bowling ball I'm carting around), I can't ask for much!

Florida pics

Here are some shots from sunny Florida. We had such a fabulous time with the most gracious and fun hosts! Jeanie and Uncle Phil saw that our every need was met and showed us some great sites, like Naples, Bonita Beach, Sanibel Island, and Captiva. We also spent plenty of time lounging in and around their pool and exploring their development and surrounding areas bit (it's a bit of a shopping mecca with three outlet malls within a 30-mile radius!).

Mark and UP played two rounds of golf in the 90+ degree heat (brave guys!) while Jeanie and I joined the "ladies who lunch" at their club house. On Memorial Day, the club folks pulled out all the stops for a patriotic luncheon in the dining room, featuring all of the BBQ food you could ask for (ribs, chicken, bratwurst, burgers, potato salad, etc.) plus some delish desserts. I definitely added a few pounds to the bump on this little respite, but it was all worth it.

Thanks to Jeanie and Phil for providing us with a very memorable and relaxing trip. We can't wait to go back!

More fun times in Florida....

Hitting the grill

Another adorable pic of Carolina and her little girl Elisa. Love the matching red!

Back...and HOT!

We are back from five wonderful days in Florida and it seems like we brought the Gulf Coast weather with us. It's about 90 degrees in the apartment right now and our AC units are way down in the basement, needing to be eventually installed by some big burly men. Hopefully that'll take place this week at some point because these days I'm not faring too well in sweltering temps!

I will have some pics to post from our great trip soon!

Off to a warner locale...

Tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., Mark and I will be flying the friendly skies down to sunny Florida, where we will spend Memorial Day weekend (and then some) with Jeanie and Uncle Phil. We're considering this our "babymoon" since it'll probably be the last time I get on a plane before F's arrival in August. I'm really looking forward to six whole days of relaxation and of course, spending time with J & UP.

Figuring out what to bring on this trip has been harder than usual...less and less of my usual clothes are fitting over my ever-growing bump. Forunately, I had the luxury of cherry picking Leezie's array of adorable maternity wear (thanks to her, I won't have to buy a thing this summer), so my suitcase is filled. Mark also bought me a very cute tankini yesterday...his great taste and zero reservations about shopping in a "lady's" store is just one of the many benefits of him having three sisters!

Though our car service will be arriving in about six hours, I'm considering pulling an all-nighter to get a little more work done before we go. The downside of being a freelancer is that there really is no such thing as a true vacation...if I don't work, I ain't getting paid. So there will be some writing happening this weekend, but hopefully it'll be conducted poolside!

Oh, in case I don't have a chance to give a proper shout-out closer in, GOOD LUCK to Bec this weekend at her next big race in Madrid. Or shall I say Buena suerte!

Rent!

Last night, Leezie and I went to see Rent (she'd given me tickets for my birthday and we finally were able to go a few months later!). Although I have the entire soundtrack on my iPod and know just about every word to every song, I'd never seen the show live (the movie doesn't really count). It completely lived up to my expectations and I was smiling from the opening act to the closing scene. Such a great show.

Though the cast is lacking a superstar right now (in the past, everyone from Taye Diggs to Joey Fatone have played various roles), it does feature Tamyra Gray as Mimi. Most people know Ms. Gray from her run in the first season of American Idol, but I remember her when she was a super-skinny girl in Ms. McPherson's gym class at MV. Yup, before she moved to Atlanta and became a beauty queen/songstress, TG lived in Montgomery Village and, as I remember, was kind of a B. Maybe I just feel that way because one day she came up to me and kicked me really hard in the butt. It's one of those moments you never forget...I was walking in to that icky basement locker room and boom...her pink sneaker delivered a swift kick to my bony little seventh-grade butt. It was completely unprovoked, and I swear my tailbone still aches some days because of that kick.

Despite those auspicious beginnings, she obviously turned out well and it was cool to see her strutting her stuff as Mimi. She's definitely a better dancer and singer than an actor, but as Leezie and I agreed, she redeemed herself by the end of the show with a fairly believeable final scene where Mimi virtually comes back to life from a crack bender.

Thanks to Leezie for the very fun night!

Congrats, Erin!

We ventured out (over?) to State College, PA, this weekend to watch Erin collect her diploma from Penn State. She graduated among about 1,100 other students from the Business School (she majored in marketing)--her ceremony being just one of many held throughout the campus during the weekend. (I still can't get over how big that school is!). The graduation itself wasn't too exciting--I was let down by the CEO of Fed Ex's rather canned and uninspiring commencement address--but the festivities were fun. I kept Sissy posted throughout the weekend of the various Happy Valley establishments we hit up, including Spats, the Diner, the Cafe, and the Creamery. Lots of indulging going on, to say the least! But hey, we were celebrating!

The weather was crazy on both days (rain, wind, sun, COLD, etc.), and on the way home the sun made its way through some ominous thunderclouds, revealing a full double rainbow! It lasted for a good two hours, and was especially brilliant as we weaved through the Delaware Water Gap. A total postcard moment. I tried to take some pics from the car, but we'd probably have better luck had we stopped on the shouder, as many other drivers were doing. I haven't seen anything like that outside of Hawaii, and it made the otherwise long and traffic-y trip more eventful.

Lots of pics from the weekend below!

More graduation pics...

Another win!

Congrats to Bec for her wire-to-wire win at the Columbia Triathon on Sunday! And not only did she get the W, but she also set the course record, held previously by a 2004 Olympic medalist. Karl also finished "in the money" with a 6th place performance. Amazing!

Check out the Baltimore Sun's coverage of the event.

Twins!

Congrats to Ashley and Joe, who welcomed twin girls Hanna Renee and Olivia Frances on Monday, May 12! Hanna arrived at 6lbs, 8oz, 18 inches and Olivia was 5lbs, 11oz and 17.5 inches. Sounds like everyone is doing great and they're already home!

Here's a picture; not sure which is which but they definitely look identical!

Count Downs

I guess since I'm so focused on counting weeks and months lately, I'm always plugging random dates into timeanddate.com, which has fun features like Duration Between Two Dates and What Date Is It in X Days? Here's a breakdown of the amount of months, weeks, days, minutes, and even seconds between today and some of the major/fun events on the horizon:

Erin's Graduation from Penn State:
3 days
72 hours
4320 minutes
259,200 seconds

Our "Babymoon" to Florida (and visit with Jeanie and Uncle Phil!):
1 week
7 days
168 hours
10,080 minutes
604,800 seconds

Andres & Kasia's wedding:
2 months, 4 days
9 weeks
65 days
1560 hours
93,600 minutes
5,616,000 seconds

Baby Flynn's expected arrrival!:
3 months, 2 days
13 weeks (rounded down)
94 days
2256 hours
135,360 minutes
8,121,600 seconds

Bec and John's wedding:
4 months, 27 days
21 weeks
150 days
3600 hours
216,000 minutes
12,960,000 seconds

Pat and Mary's wedding:
22 weeks
5 months, 4 days
157 days
3768 hours
226,080 minutes
13,564,800 seconds

Look familiar?

Not too long ago, I finally jumped on the facebook bandwagon with my only intention being the ability to play scrabulous with my friends. But before I knew it, I was in touch with so many people from the past that I hadn't seen in forever--from swim team peeps to high school friends. One of these folks is the dear Carolina (Nina), who, after heading off to Clemson for college--where she was a superstar swimmer--she met and married a guy who now heads up the admin. side of the basketball program at the University of Georgia. They have an adorable family, including 20-month-old Elisa, who, as you can see, is Nina's mini-me, down to the head of thick corkscrew curls. Nina sent along these pictures of Elisa posing after being outside on a Slip 'n slide (that's why she's half-dressed!) and I thought you'd like to see them, too...

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Mother's Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! M came up on Saturday morning and stayed all the way until this afternoon...what a treat! We spent our days hanging around, doing a bit of shopping, and getting entertained by Sam. We capped it off on Sunday night with a fajita dinner with all of the sisters plus Sam, John, and Mark (who had just driven up from his own fun weekend in VA), at our place. Bec and Karl came straight from upstate with desserts in hand (strawberry shortcake with ginger biscuits and vanilla ice cream by Bec, banana chocolate chip muffins by Karl). It was so lovely to have everyone together to honor our fabulous and amazing mom. I only wish she lived here fulltime!

Some pictures from the evening below.

Yum, this stuff is GOOD!

Just about to get on the train with Sam. (He's thinking, "where in the heck are you ladies taking me?")

Riding the PATH with Sam (and lots of stuff!)

Sam getting served by Grand Liz

Getting ready to chow down on fajitas