Color me clueless, but I lived nearly two decades of my life not even realizing dieting for one's wedding was a thing. I distinctly remember when I realized wedding diets existed in the world at large and how terrible this discovery felt. It felt like the time I realized "sophomore" was not spelled "sophmore"—an error I made consistently for countless years (including "sophmore" year of high school). (To this day, I take spelling much more seriously than dieting, you should too.)

I was in college, and the T.V. blared Royal Wedding coverage (but of course). The news people were discussing....wait for it...Kate Middleton's waistline. What else?

They were showing beautiful pictures of Kate six months ago and beautiful pictures of present day Kate and comparing her waist size in the pictures. Because really? This woman is about to officially become royalty so let's discuss her body at length, shall we? What else could we possibly cover about her? Oh yes, her clothes. Well, we'll cover her wardrobe extensively in the next segment and the next segment and the next segment, don't you worry.

So, one woman says: "I must say, she just looks so much thinner. I'm worried she's starving herself for the wedding."

Second woman responds: "Well, I say, let her do what she wants with her body. It's the most important day of her life. Of course she'd want to be in the best shape possible!"

And this is when I had my miserable epiphany. I can't remember my exact position but it's safe to assume I was sprawled out on the couch inhaling Sour Patch Kids. And I thought, eloquently:

Wait, what? People diet for weddings? Shit.

Because, as an athlete, when I asked myself the question: When should one be in the best shape of one's life? The following answers came to the forefront of my mind:

*When one's playing in the NCAA Tournament

*When one's doing an Iron Man

*When one's climbing Mount Everest

*When one's swimming the English Channel

*When one's competing in the Olympics

These, to me, make sense. You should probably (at least attempt) to be in (somewhere near) the best shape of your life when you're participating in a vigorous athletic event. But when one's getting married? When you've found a person who wants to share the rest of your life with you, until death due you part? Why?  Had the stars ever been more misaligned?

I suppose (I admit this is likely an uncommon perspective), for the first 20 years of life I never associated being in shape with appearance. I mean you either can or can't run a mile in under 6 minutes and 30 seconds and it didn't matter how thin you are, if you didn't make your mile time you were benched until you did (this actually happened for my college  basketball team, some of the thinnest girls on the team didn't pass the test).

Of course, flash forward seven years, and now I'm actually planning a wedding and less blissfully naive about society's body standards, and I totally get it. You're going to have to wear a dress in front of tons of people, some of which you haven't seen in years. You're going to be professionally photographed for hours on end. Those photos will be broadcast all over social media, so even friends and friends of friends you purposefully didn't invite will be able to judge how you look and say passive aggressive comments like, "Well she looks nice but that dress just isn't for me, you know?"

So, when we were dress shopping, I had another epiphany to counteract my miserable epiphany of yore: I'm going to buy a dress that fits me. (Note: with my really short guest list, I already had not invited any passive-aggressive dress judgers to my wedding.) Furthermore, being what Cosmo calls "pear-shaped"—I tried on a few tight-all-the-way-down numbers, thought "nope," and told the dress attendant that I'm going to need to buy a dress that "goes out." And, then, the whole dress shopping experience became much easier and more enjoyable.

And therefore, my friends, I present to you the ultimate wedding (anti)diet: BUY A DRESS THAT FITS. THE END.

:)

How to Plan a Wedding in 48 Hours

Stephen and I got engaged a few weeks ago, and right after it happened I was so excited to be married to Stephen, but I was feeling this palpable sense of dread around planning the actual wedding. I was thinking I'd rather have a plane delayed by maintenance forty times than make a guest list. And I'd rather miss my connection by four minutes after sprinting through the airport than take nauseating engagement photos. And I'd choose getting a flat tire and being stuck on the side of the road in the freezing cold in the middle of Illinois over anything to do with centerpieces. Do you know what you should worry about instead of centerpieces? LITERALLY ANYTHING.

Yes, I was equating my wedding planning with a series of terrible business trips of my past, and thinking those would be preferable. Because at least when you get a food voucher from the Delta lady at midnight in DTW she doesn't ask you what your wedding colors are. 

And here I must profusely apologize to every woman who has ever had a wedding or will have a wedding with a perfectly curated guest list, adorable engagement photos, lovely centerpieces, and the perfect colors. Your engagement, bridal shower, bachelorette party, and wedding was or will be amazing. Seriously. I have attended these perfect weddings and enjoyed them immensely.

And I mean this with complete sincerity: Good for you, not for me.

So....right in the midst of a few weeks of "Let's elope" thought processes where whenever anyone asked me about my impending wedding I wanted to a.) punch them in the face b.) apparate to another time zone. and c.) eat an entire tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. (To be clear, I perpetually want to do c. regardless of the topic of conversation.) Right in the midst of this brain hurricane of wedding-induced panic, Stephen helped me have this life-altering epiphany:

It doesn't matter.

Wait.

Let me say that again.

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

I love that sentence. Yes, in some instances it has a depressing ring to it but in others—take, this one—it can be incredibly freeing.

So, in this post-revelatory happiness haze void of meaning, Stephen and I, basically, did it all in 48 hours. Chose a city (Madison), chose ceremony space, and chose a venue for a reception.

And, I surmised there are two key things you need if you want to plan your wedding in 48 hours:

1. A very restricted/limited guest list. People will understand. They should be cool enough to get it. If they're not cool enough to get it—do you even care about them?

2. A healthy dose of apathy. (See above mantra)

:)

So whatever your "wedding" of the moment is—the thing churning around, unsettling your skull, rattling your peace of mind—ask yourself: how much does it matter? Five years from now, how will you feel about this very thing that's bothering you so much right now it's eating away at your sanity? Free yourself, yo.

And never forget: There are infinite things more important than center pieces. Take cats sprawling out next to toilets, for example:

Hope you're all having good weeks! xx

Our Engagement Stories

These days, there's a lot of pressure put on a single moment—the wedding proposal.

With so many meticulously planned and filmed proposals destined to go viral, it raises a lot of questions. Does he really love her if there isn't a flashmob? Did the moment actually happen if it wasn't captured on video? Or at least photographed? Does the number of "likes" on a Facebook engagement announcement increase their chances at everlasting love?

All this to say...Stephen and I got engaged yesterday! And, surprisingly, no flashmobs were involved. I want to tell you the wedding proposal story—I do—but reducing our five and a half year relationship to one moment seems impossible, like reducing your life to a single piece of paper. I couldn't pick just one. Here are a few of our engagement stories:

When I was a junior in college, in the middle of the worst basketball season of my life, Stephen and I started dating. We're talking a single-digit win season. Stephen came to every home game. Even if you're one of the few who considers women's basketball extraordinarily exciting, these games were not that. They were often downright painful. But Stephen came, cheered, waited (and waited) (and waited) after the game for me to be done in the locker room. Stephen was my fan, from day one. His enthusiasm has never wavered, all these years later.

The first picture taken of us together. Photo by Cosi!

Only a month or so into my relationship, my aunt died unexpectedly. I got the terrible news, then went to basketball practice. After practice, I knew Stephen had been looking forward to playing poker with a group of guys. Instead, he was at my apartment holding my favorite Dairy Queen blizzard, and refused to leave.

Stephen's graduation weekend. Before the wine and cheese thing at Bucknell.

I started this blog one year into our relationship. I was terrified to let anyone read it. Stephen would patiently proof every post, reassuring me it was good. His belief in me has caused me to more deeply believe in myself, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Somewhere on some trail in Arkansas.

Stephen and I dated long distance for over two years. Most of that time, he was in Little Rock, Arkansas, and I was in Madison, Wisconsin. Nearly every time I flew down, he'd text me after I landed something like: "Got held up at work. Can you take a cab to my place?" or "Sorry, not there yet." He was always there. He was always waiting. (And often hiding behind something so I had to look extra hard for him.) Despite all the miserable things about long distance dating, I'll never forget the joy of reuniting in airports.

Getting in touch with our artistic sides in Arkansas.

Since I had a job in Wisconsin, Stephen moved here. A little over a year after he moved here, I decided to quit that job. He was unquestionably supportive. Even though I wouldn't have an income. Even though we now lived in Wisconsin, away from all of our families, because of me and now I was quitting the job that brought me here. Stephen never stopped supporting me.

Stephen's first weekend living in Madison! (At the terrace)

Over the weekend, we flew to my home in Pittsburgh for my friend, Nicole's, beautiful wedding on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, Stephen asked if I wanted to go for a walk and, since we go for walks all the time, I agreed without thinking anything of it. We walked down to Hopewell Park and started going on a trail through the woods. The air was crisp, but not cold. The leaves on the trees shimmered in the sunlight—all shades of yellow, red, and orange—and the leaves on the ground crunched beneath our feet.

Once we neared the top of a hill, he suggested we sit on a bench for a bit, and that's when he got on one knee and asked me to marry him! Upon our return home, my entire family was there along with cake, flowers, champagne, and cute decorations. We had a big family brunch together. I couldn't stop smiling.

This picture snapped by Grace after showers were taken post-walk :)

If I had one wish, it would be that every person in the world has someone who loves them the way Stephen loves me. I look forward to making many more stories with him for years to come. 

I love you, Stephen!

5 Lessons from Living with My Boyfriend

Come August 1st, Stephen and I will have lived together for a whole year. While this by no means makes me an expert on cohabitating, I thought it'd be fun to reflect back and share some "tips" for those of you considering moving in with your significant others. (I'm sure it will just be amusing for those who have been doing this for years—I know I still have a lot to learn!)

1. Start on Equal Ground

Stephen and I each moved in from our own apartments to our new apartment, and even though that meant but a three-block move for me (from a 2 bedroom downtown, to another 2 bedroom downtown, womp), I would definitely do it again. We started living together in our place not his place or my place. There was no sense that one of us was intruding on the others' space/routines/life—we were choosing to enter the same space, and make a new life, together.

2. Purge (lots of) Your Stuff

I wish we would have purged more stuff initially. Obviously, I am a big fan of the Marie Kondo method but we should have been more stringent at first. For example, since we were merging two kitchens into one (small) one, we had way too much glassware. As in, we had to repurpose a shelving unit for mugs and then still had some permanently on the counter. In preparation for our upcoming move, we finally got rid of unnecessary glassware (but don't worry: not this glass), and I wish we would've done it ages ago (upon moving in rather than upon moving out).

But, whenever I make good decisions I always wish I would've done them sooner. Learn from our mistakes, and consolidate belongings. (Also, at one point we had four cheese graters. Not surprising at all if you know us, ha!)

3. Don't Correct the Person Doing the Chore

We don't have a ton of "house rules" but we have one that I love: If you're not doing the chore, you don't get to correct the person who is. Ex. I never put dryer sheets in the dryer (its against my nature), but he doesn't get to correct me because I'm doing the laundry. And, when he takes out the trash without first scooping the cat litter (gasp!), I don't get to correct him because he's taking the trash out. This works very well for us—no one wants to be critiqued constantly when they're doing a chore that benefits both people. Give it a try! (Even with a non-S.O. roomie!)

4. Wunderlist is a Godsend

I talked about Wunderlist in a list of Fun Free Apps a while ago but its eternal usefulness bears repeating. No one wants to exchange one million texts about "We're out of hand soap." And "I'm going to the store do we have milk?" Wunderlist is an easy and (dare I say) fun way to conquer the banality of stocking a home together. No more walking to the store and cursing yourself (or your partner) for leaving the grocery list on the fridge!

5. Adopting a Pet is More Challenging—and more Rewarding—Than I Anticipated

Although it's hard to believe since I've nearly come to crazy cat lady status at this point, I was not the driving force behind adopting Tywin, Stephen was. He was the cat person through and through, and I was resistant, but thought to myself "If the compromise of this relationship is a furry ball I guess I can deal." Flash forward ten months, and I'm obsessed. Of course, I was also surprised at the amount of work "raising" a cat entails. From vet visits to "incidents" (he has ruined a pair of my Steve Madden flats!) to the occasional middle of the night/early morning wake ups, you should be ready for a larger time commitment than anticipated. Still, it has been a wonderful thing to take on together—and I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Do you live with your significant other? Any other tips for cohabitating? I'm all ears!

p.s. Check out Mackenzie's post where she talks to 10 women about the big move-in. It was the inspiration for this post and is definitely worth reading!

In Response to the Charleston Shooting: A letter to People in Their 20's

Dear People in your 20's,

I think this is a really hard decade. I would know, I'm 26. In one word, I'm struggling. Sure, you can legally drink at 21, but it's kind of all downhill from there, right? At 22, society says you're supposed to know what to do with the rest of your life, which, if we're being honest, is straight-up BS. I mean, people are living to be 100 years old these days but you need to have everything figured out a quarter of the way through? Why?

The pressure to have a career path in your 20's sucks. Not to mention all your friends who "always knew they wanted to be a lawyer." Ugh. How could you possibly always know anything when you've been alive for a tiny blip of time? Walk through a forest. Nearly every tree in it is older than you are. You've basically just arrived on planet earth! But, you're 100% certain of your career path. Not an ounce of doubt.

To all those self-assured people I say this: Good for you, not for me.

Not to mention everyone getting married, having kids, buying houses, and (ugh) posting engagement photos to Facebook. Social media is the worst kind of liar, because it pretends to be something it's not. It pretends to exist to help with human bonding and connection-forming, and instead tells you everyday you're falling behind. You're 26 and not engaged yet? What, do you have leprosy or something?

No one knows exactly what you should do with your life except for you (at least that's what "they" say). And, if we're being honest, you don't know either. I know I don't know what to do with mine.

But, I do know exactly what you (and I) should NOT do. 

I strongly believe with every ounce of my body there's one thing that you should actively avoid doing at all costs. Do not kill people.

First off, let's take an incredibly self-absorbed 20's mindset when approaching the idea of shooting and killing other people. It accomplishes nothing for you. Maybe your life right now is a miserable abyss of questioning and restlessness and depression and addiction. I'm not diminishing those terrible things. That's rough. Maybe you are going through something so terrible that it's impossible to articulate. You are certain you are the first person to feel so much melancholy in so short a time period—and there's no hope for your future, and no one can even begin to understand. First, I'm going to kindly suggest you start reading classic literature. Not modern-day pop-culture vampire dystopian fiction. Read the classics. Steinbeck. Hemingway. Salinger. You might find you're able to surround yourself with a cohort of authors who share in your melancholy, and make it more bearable.

Then, I'm going to ask, if possible, that you adopt a pet—rescue a cat or dog or bird, I don't care. And watch how, even when every single human on the planet is insufferable, your animal relies on you for food, for care. Without question, your pet blindly trusts you—you! The person living in an abyss of misery with no direction and no hope for the future!—for food, for shelter, for love, for everything. 

Then, and only then, if you are still thinking of killing other humans, I'm going to urge you to ask yourself this question: Will killing someone else solve any of your problems? Really think about it. Mull it over. Be honest with yourself. The answer is a resounding no.

Then, of course, if we pull our heads out from our behinds (where our heads generally tend to be in our 20's, it seems), we can start considering the lives of people other than ourselves. The other living, breathing humans, with hopes and fears and doubts and dreams. And maybe even with pets of their own. And a collection of books. And, maybe, with children, who also have hopes and fears and doubts and dreams. When you kill another person, you don't just destroy him or her—you destroy worlds. By ending a person's life, you set off a wave of misery that washes over wives, husbands, friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, co-workers, sons, daughters, pets, and on and on and on.

Is that what you want to be known for? Really think about it. Mull it over. Be honest with yourself. No, it is not. You were not born to set off a wave of misery and despair and heartbreak and sadness. Maybe you weren't born to be a doctor or lawyer, either, but you decidedly weren't born to be a weapon of mass destruction. I'm 100% sure of it. It is not who you are. Look at your core. Your core will not lie to you. Strip away everything else—society's unfair expectations, the harsh opinion's of others, your self-doubt, your addiction, your horrid situation, your self-loathing—strip it away, and look at your core. Your core is beautiful. I am certain of it. You are beautiful. And you have the rest of your life to tap into that core, tap into that beauty. I'm begging you, don't ruin it for yourself in your 20's, and do not ruin it for anyone else, ever. After all, each of us is only here for a tiny blip of time—there's no sense in shortening it. Be kind to others. And be kind to yourself.

Sending my love to Charleston, and to you,

Joyce

Two Poems on Love That Should be Read at More Weddings

Perhaps this title induced many an eye roll, but I couldn't resist. I recently stumbled across two different poems on love, and I'm kind of obsessed with both of them.

You know how everyone always reads the same passage about love at weddings? Love is patient, love is kind....etc. The youth-group going girl I was knows it's from 1 Corinthians 13, of course. Well, don't get me wrong, I like that passage—it's just, it makes love sound a little unattainable to me. Patient, kind, keeps no record of wrong, doesn't boast, is not rude, is not self-seeking? Shoot.

I mean, let's start at the very beginning. If love is patient, count me out.

I can't wait in a long grocery store line without plotting the ultimate demise of every shopper in front of me. And don't get me started on driving. (I'm looking at you, Wisconsin!) I said it a long time ago, but I'm considering writing a book called "If You're Going 57 mph Get the %$@! out of the Passing Lane, and Other Pearls of Wisdom to Live By."

Anyway, love poems.

I'm going to let these poems speak for themselves, rather than bore you with English-major dissections of each of them ;)

The first one I stumbled across on Design for Mankind (a wonderful blog, in my opinion) in this post.

THE PATIENCE OF ORDINARY THINGS
By Pat Schneider

It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they're supposed to be.
I've been thinking about the patience 
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish, 
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?


The second one is included in the book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott which I'm currently reading and loving.

THE WILD ROSE
by Wendell Berry

Sometimes hidden from me
in daily custom and in trust,
so that I live by you unaware
as by the beating of my heart,

Suddenly you flare in my sight,
a wild rose blooming at the edge
of thicket, grace and light
where yesterday was only shade,

and once again I am blessed, choosing
again what I chose before.

Wouldn't it be lovely to hear one of these read at a wedding? I think so. Any other great love poems you'd like to share? I'm always on the look out.

Qualities that can't be measured

I'm a sucker for quotes. I must admit, however, that I'm kind of elitist when it comes to inspirational quotes.* "Live. Laugh. Love." feels so cliché at this point and I'm not sure why but "Dance like no one's watching" kind of makes me want to throw up. Sorry if those quotes keep your spirit alive, they just do nothing for mine. (Seems like the ideal moment to use a variation of Joanna's lovely mantra - "Good for you! Not for me.")

*I'm not at all a beer/wine/food snob though, so there's that.

Platitudes aside, my boyfriend texted me this quote the other day and it really resonated with me:

I've written about it before, but I fear we live in a society obsessed with metrics. I have a little sister who's job searching and I'm cleaning up my resumé a bit too, and I'm struck by all the things that can't be listed effectively. Thus, the below list was born! (Note that I do not think I personally encapsulate all of the qualities below (I've complained a time or two ;) I just think if you're trying to depict a person  with a bulleted list on a piece of paper then immeasurable qualities are bound to be lost in translation.) 

Positive Qualities that Can't Be Measured, and are 

Nearly Impossible to Include in a Resumé:

A sense of humor

Compassion

Creativity

An adept listener

Optimism

Ability to empathize with others 

Intrinsic motivation

Someone who never complains*

Ability to see the forest through the trees

Even-temperedness

Patience

A healthy (non-addictive) relationship with phones/electronics

Both honesty + tactfulness

Non-materialistic

Curiosity

Politeness

Attention to detail

Compatibility with others

*I've known a few people in who never complain, 

and I'm blown away by how refreshing this trait is.

Don't you think humans are so much more than GPA's and years of work experience? I only wish we weren't forced to distill our lives down to a single sheet of paper. The next time you're getting down about your life's "metrics" focus on this list. Few of us encompass all of the above characteristics, but all of us encompass some of them! :) Any other qualities you would add to the list?

Why I think it's okay to toss out your life plan

I have a friend, I'll call her L. So, L was dating a guy, I'll call him J. So L and J go on 9 or so dates and things seem to be progressing nicely. L has her own dreams, and is working towards a graduate degree. J already has his PhD and a house. At slightly different life stages, but agree on most things, laugh when they're together, all the feel-good beginning of relationship stuff.

When, on date 10, J drops this bomb: 

"I just want to get married and have kids soon, and you're not there yet, [with your graduate degree that will take 2.5 more years] so, yeah, I don't see us working out." and that's that. He breaks up with her because she doesn't fit into his "life plan." J is a nearly 30-year-old man with a PhD! And he breaks up with her on behalf of his IMAGINARY plan not matching the projected near-future of her life. As if his chances are so high he's just going to stumble upon a nubile lady-in-waiting eager to give birth at the drop of a hat.

I couldn't disagree with J's outlook more. Here's my stance: Life isn't about finding someone's whose "plan" matches your "plan." Life is about finding people you care about and building your plans around them.

You can't just make a plan and fill people into slots. Husband? Check. Best Friend? Check. Child? Check. Your life is not a project plan. You're dealing with people. Living, breathing, changing beings. Who don't solely exist to be forced into your timelines.

Although I did the standard high school > college > job thing that is common, at least in this era in the United States, I never concocted some grand plan for my life outside of that.

I am not (and have never been) one of those people who says "..and I want to get married by the time I'm 24 so I can start having kids when I'm 26 and be done having kids when I'm 30." or whatever. You know what I'm talking about, obviously. A lot of people do it! I just never did. 

*image

Regardless, many people map this stuff out, including our aforementioned J, and I want to know: is it comforting? Or stressful? I think it sounds overwhelming! I'm reminded of Van Zant's Help Somebody where they twang "And if you want to hear God laugh tell him your plans." 

(Tangent: I was a huge country fan in high school. I saw Tim, Faith, Toby, Kenny, Luke, and Keith in concert. Yes, I'm assuming if you're a country fan you don't need last names and if you aren't you don't care.)

If you have grandiose, detailed life plans, I just fear you're probably setting yourself up for disappointment. Maybe it's the ex-Project Manager in me, but things take longer than expected, people let you down, and there are so many outside variables you can't predict it seems almost silly or arrogant or both to map out your life as if you have complete control over it. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for goals. (Example A: 101 in 1001 list) But that's very different than a "master plan" for life (which I decidedly don't have.)

I think it's much more important to prioritize the important people in your life, and not to worry about missing the alleged "milestones." If you would have told me when I was 20 that at age 26 I'd be living in Madison, Wisconsin with my boyfriend and a cat there is no way I would have believed you. A CAT?!? This is preposterous.*

But life is life. It ebbs and flows and moves along regardless of your plans for it. Days happen whether or not you plan them out. Minutes pass with and without back-to-back hourly meetings.** People who you thought would be with you forever suddenly leave. People who you never would have guessed stick around. And I just think you might miss out on some pretty great people if you move through life with blinders on, prioritizing a so-called "plan" rather than the people who happen to come into your life. I'm looking at you, J.

So, if you're being held back by some detailed milestones creeping up on your life, and you're starting to worry about missing your dates, here's my advice: get rid of your plan. You can live without it. You may even live better.

--

*Mike Birbiglia voice.
**One of the strangest part of not having a full time job anymore is the lack of meetings. And how time passes by just the same.

Monday Inspiration: IRONMAN Wisconsin

I recently noticed a trend while talking to a few peers. Chatting about life to a 20-something involves every other sentence starting or ending in varying phrases of uncertainty. Examples:

"I like my job but I'm just not sure about..."
"I don't know if I could live (insert city here) forever, you know?"
"I just really don't know if my boyfriend/job/location/hobby is something I'm interested in long term."
Et Cetera. 

But - that's not the trend I wanted to talk about! That's just inevitable cold, hard truth of talking to a twenty-something about life. The recent trend I noticed is (I think) more"fixable." A couple of my friends said "I like my job/life/etc, but I just don't feel challenged."

Therefore - for anyone who is searching for a challenge - I present to you the physical challenge of all challenges:

2.4 mile swim. 112 miles bike. 26.2 mile run. Feeling challenged yet? Or just nauseated? 

Over 2,000 athletes took over Madison this Sunday, September 7 to embark upon this challenge. The fact that so many people (adults!) would take on such a physical feat amazes me.

I personally have never run farther than 5 miles consecutively (not ashamed), so I find the Ironman very inspiring. I ran a sprint triathlon in June, and enjoyed the experience. But - it was hard! It really put into perspective just how far these athletes were going.

Stephen and I woke up at the crack of dawn (6:45am!) on Sunday and scurried over to Lake Monona to watch the start of the swim at 7am.  It was incredible!

sun rising and volunteers out there ready for the swimmers

and they're off!

So many people swimming in the water and so many ironfans cheering them on:

I got tired just watching them!

volunteers supervising

After the swimmers swam to the other side of the lake, we  walked up a bunch of the steps to get onto the Monona Terrace. {5 flights of stairs before 8am on Sunday? That's my own personal version of an Ironman.}

We headed over to the transition area where we waited for people to emerge from the lake....and gazed at a collection of road bikes fit for kings. The maseratis of the bicycle world.

I definitely want to get a road bike before doing my next tri (any suggestions?), so I'll likely buy one before next summer. Fun fact: I actually bought hybrid bike used from a friend – and that friend completed the Ironman yesterday! (Go Mel!!)

When the competitors started exiting the water and transitioning to the bikes it was so exciting! I cheered Melanie on as she moved from the swim to the bike - and as she headed out on her 112 mile biking journey, we headed home. And, at around 9:30am, I took a much needed nap. The life of an ironfan is no joke, you guys.

I did wake up and was inspired to go for a run. I put on my triathlon tee (why not?) and meandered around the streets of Madison while listening to "Kanye West" radio on Pandora. Then, I stumbled upon this sign (as part of the bike course):

And took it as a sign from the higher-ups that it was time to turn around and head home. I certainly didn't want to over do it ;)

Two meals later, we watched runners (after swimming and biking) start their marathons! Crazy! This was around 2pm...it had been 7 hours since they began the race.

I have no grand delusions of ever running an Ironman, but do have the goal to run a real 10k. It may seem tiny in comparison, but I think it's a good fitness goal for ex-basketball player me! Watching the triathletes made me want to set more fitness goals for myself. Do you have ideas for any new fitness-oriented goals I should add to my list?

I offer you two different perspectives for reading this post:

Perspective 1: How inspirational! I think I'm going to set a new physical fitness goal for myself...maybe I'll do the Ironman next year!

Perspective 2: Holy sh*t. I'd rather be at work on a Monday than swim, bike, or run half that much.

Either way, happy Monday, friends!

ducks who were rather overwhelmed by all the swimmers in their lake Sunday morning.

p.s. The original Monday Inspiration Post.
p.p.s. Mondays can be happy too.