Running Away

Ever trained to run a half or even full marathon?  Or are you a regular runner? I’ll admit…even with my roommate heading our college’s running club and offering to train me one-on-one I had zero interest in the sport.  This was due in large part to the fact that after running about 200 meters I was a hot winded mess.  I may not have been in the best athletic shape…

Anyway, after leaving college and adopting a desk job, I very quickly realized just how many calories I had burned walking around campus.  And was now not burning.  So my freshman 15 arrived a bit late and I was finally motivated to join a gym and get kicked into shape.  Now it’s about two years later and the ladies I work out with are looking at a new challenge: a ten mile run.  As intimidating as that sounds, they want to go as a group, run as a group, and finish as a group.  No one will be watching their times, the goal is just to cross that finish line.  So…I think I’m going to do it.  I really want to have that camaraderie, especially on my first run, and I think this kind of support is the best way to train and actually accomplish my goal.

I have done a bit of running as part of our workouts, but certainly nothing endurance-related.  Where to start?  A friend suggested a program called Couch to 5K (sounds appropriate) to get me started.  She actually used it to finish her first 5K, so that was promising!  So far I’ve done the Week 1 workout (last one today!) and I feel pretty good about it.  Who knew I could manage to hold on for 20 minutes?  Definitely not me.  So I’m optimistic about the plan and very excited to see how this new type of fitness conditioning will affect my other workouts.  I’m hoping the added cardio/endurance will improve my strength training.  So—wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted on how the training is working out!

Exploring Perfume

For whatever reason, my subconscious managed to label perfume as "so adult" or at the very least "special occasion".  So I've never really worn it regularly, despite thinking that it was classy on other people.  Well, with the wedding coming up, I realized that desperately needed to change.  Maybe I want to feel more grown up that day, maybe I'm just worried about hugging everyone I love...I don't know. The point being, the label in my mind suddenly shifted from "eh...not for me" to "must have!". 

And I had a wonderful experience tracking down perfume!  I ventured out to my local beauty store, where they have an area dedicated to perfume.  I spoke with the perfume associate, describing my situation (perfume virgin) and that I was looking for something light and clean to eventually wear to my wedding.  And in the meantime enjoy day-to-day.  She was happy to suggest a number of options and then proceeded to send me home with five sample sprayers for myself and one for my fiancee, I couldn't believe it!  So now I'm able to test-drive these scents on my own time to decide how they react to my body and how they wear over the course of the day.

So onto the scents...I received Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, L'Eau de Chloe, BCBGMAXAZRIA Eau de Parfum, and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. Each strikes me as very light...some more floral while others are more fruity, but there was definitely something special about each one.  I guess now it's on to the test drives to determine which one will be my signature scent.

Do you wear perfume regularly? Do you have a favorite scent?  Or several? :)  I really enjoyed getting to sample the scents... it felt like being pampered.  So if you've got time, I'd definitely suggest stopping at your perfume counter to see what new scents are available.  I definitely wouldn't have been able to make these finds without some expert help!

Starting Something

One of the hardest things in life is to start something new…to just commit and put yourself out there for the world to see. And yes, judge.  It’s intimidating. I’ve been promising myself that I will start a blog for how many years now?  Three, at least.  And yet life always seemed to throw a curve-ball right at those moments when you’re choosing between committing and …all that other stuff.  So. Here goes: I’m starting something new.

Who am I?

A young professional, working at my first job out of college.  I work for a technology company, basically acting as a test engineer.  And quite frankly I want the opportunity to carve out time every day to think about other things.  My hobbies, my passions, my interests in things waaaay outside my realm of expertise. Fun things. :) 

I’m recently engaged, a recent homeowner, and recently committed to exercising and leading a healthier lifestyle.  I love thinking about fashion, I love cooking, and I absolutely love traveling. Or day-dreaming about travel.  (Which may happen more often than I’m proud of… hmm….)

So my plan is to use this space to focus on those things.  I want to be social, I want to be interactive, and I’d really like to be helpful.  I’ve gotten some amazing advice from bloggers over the years and I’d love nothing more than to be able to offer that in return.

I hope you enjoy!