Training... in a very new way

Those of you who know me well know that I've been practicing or training for something for all of my life.... from gymnastics to cheer to dance to running etc... always training. I have embarked on a new training adventure of preparation for a fitness competition coming up in October. For this effort I have given up all of my eating habits (3 square meals/lots of bread/a major sweet tooth) for 6 mini-meals per day filled with protein with the bulk of the eating done earlier in the day.

I'm on Day 5 of the new plan and I must say my body is adjusting. It's ready to eat at the designated times and I'm never starving so I haven't even had a craving for bread one time! I thought for sure that part would kill me and there is no effect at all! My exercise routine is changing too... less cardio and more weights. I had my first training session with my "trainer" Tara on Wednesday... all lower body... all very heavy. I'll just say that I still can hardly get up out of my chair!

That aside I am very very excited for this weekend! This is Wiggy's first weekend off since he started residency on June 20th that we will both be in town (one of his weekends we flew to CA for 40 hours and the other one I was gone for a wedding). Tonight will be my first big "cheat meal" where I get to eat whateva I want and have a glass of wine! Tomorrow we're heading to Galax VA where we're staying in a tiny cabin on the New River Trail. We'll be hiking maybe biking and partaking in the Blue Ridge Parkway and the bluegrass at the "Blue Ridge Music Center". Very much looking forward to a night away!

Last night I hosted Girl's night at my house with a game of Apples to Apples. I never win games and I tore this one up... it was crazy. Last time I played this game I ended up with one card at the end. Last night I had 7!!! We had a nice time chatting and got to meet a couple more wonderful women of Winston-Salem! There really are some fab and hilarious gals around here :)

Happy weekend!

Adjusting

Just as we've begun to feel accustomed to Wiggy's crazy intern schedule things are about to get crazier. Next week I begin my first class for my Masters Certificate in Healthcare Administration. Even though it's only one class per semester it's been over 5 years since I've been an estudiante and I'm a tad bit nervous when I think about juggling work, volunteering, social life and my extra responsibilities that I cover for Wiggy AND school. On top of that, this coming Monday I will also begin my training/eating regimine for my first fitness competition that will be on October 17th. I really just want to get it all started so I can rid myself of this weird anxiety!

Otherwise, it's been a very full couple of weeks. Fortunately for me, I have re-connected (and connected for the first time) with a wonderful and random group of girlfriends that have been great support and company while Wiggy's gone a lot. Friday evening I did get to hang out with the hubby over a nice dinner with wine at Hutch & Harris. We admired our little city and how incredibly much cooler it is now than say even 3 years ago. Saturday evening I met up with a group and headed over to Meridian Restaurant for their seafood festival. Very fun... great food and music and so many people. On Sunday it was "The Time Travelers Wife" (another book club movie) and pedicures with Lindsey and Carrie. Thursday evening we even had a fondue party with about 15 girls all whom have at least one connection to someone in the group. We always invite everyone to bring a friend so our group is growing. I'm hosting a Game Night next Thursday (a call night that I'm livening up) and the invite now has 25 ladies on it! Everyone gripes about how it's hard to meet new people in Winston-Salem... our group is challenging that! Bring on Girl's Night!

This weekend Wiggy will be off Friday AND Saturday and next weekend he's off completely. I'm very excited to spend 2 weekend days in a row with him!

Summer Sizzle

The past two weeks of my life have gone by like a big blurr... not even sure I remember everything! Last weekend Wiggy was on call basically all weekend except for Friday night so we indulged in a patio dinner at our fave Sixth and Vine for some good convo and yummy food (their goat cheese salad with cherries is the BEST). Saturday I went hiking at Hanging Rock with 3 friends and my puppy. My friend Carrie's pugs were supposed to come as well but they were conked out after playing with Jasper for 10 minutes so they went home. That evening Carrie and I saw "The Hangover". It was absolutely hysterical... Wow! Sunday I had lunch with my good friend Ashley who is expecting! She will be my first very close friend to have a baby and I can't wait! That evening Wiggy and I went on a bike ride and grilled shrimp, yummy!

This past week was quite exciting as Wednesday night I caught up with lots of the Group Ex gals who used to take my classes at the now closed Jonestown Peak Fitness. We had a great time catching up and enjoyed our 1/2 price wine. Thursday evening I finally caught up with my Med School gals Meg and Jamie for the Skirt Magazine one year anniversary party. They gave away lots of free goodies and fried food. It was really great to see them after such a long break!

Friday afternoon I flew home for one last wedding and my Mom picked me up from the airport and took me to my fave.. Red Robin for a juicy and greasy Whiskey River Chicken Sandwich! We then had a nice 3 hour chat on the way home. Saturday morning I got to go running at home, my favorite place on the earth... think... super low humidity, mild Summer temps, beautiful green surroundings and killer hills! Then it was off for pedicures with Mom and Meme and a lovely patio lunch with the whole fam before getting ready for the wedding. The bride was beautiful and I got a chance to catch up with lots of high school friends that I haven't seen in a long time. We all had a great time mingling and dancing and reminiscing. Sunday morning was rough as we had to get up by 6:30 to head to the airport. Fortunately I got to spend yesterday with my hubby which was worth the early wake up call.

Off to another week... no more air travel in sight for quite a while... sighhhh

Summer Fun

Last weekend was the most relaxing weekend I've had in a LONG time. Friday evening my friend Jenny and I went to see "My Sister's Keeper" which we had just read for our book club. What a tear jerker! I liked the movie ending better than the book but I wont go into detail as I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. Wiggy was on call Friday night and slept until late on Saturday afternoon as he got NO sleep and delivered 6 babies on his shift. I took the opportunity to lunch, run errands and take Jasper to the Dog Park and then we finally pulled our bikes out of the garage and put them to use.

Wiggy and I purchased bikes in mid June (his was a graduation present from his parents) and frankly have not ridden them one time due to being so busy on the weekends and so tired in the evenings! We went on a lovely ride along the Greenway at Muddy Creek. It's so close to our house yet seems so rural, I love it! I must say that I was a little skeptical of my bike as I haven't ridden in many years, but once I put on all the "gear" I was ready to roll. I teach cycle classes about 5 times per week, but it's just not the same! In comparison to running, I loved that Wiggy and I could carry on a full conversation while exercising and I loved the breeze even though it was quite sticky out. I'm sold on this biking thing and I'm just getting started. I am, however, still terrified of riding with cars nearby!

Saturday evening we FINALLY celebrated our anniversary (2.5 weeks late) in style. We went to a very nice patio dinner at Ryan's where we shared a salmon dish and a pork dish and a bottle of wine and then we headed to the live music in downtown Winston put on by the Arts Council. The band was the Vagabond Saints Society and they played some great "oldies but goodies". The best part was watching the people dancing... quite a riot. Finally we headed over to NOMA to check out their new Saturday night DJ. The music was great, but us old folks got a little sleepy before it really got going.... next time.

Sunday we went on a nice hike at Pilot Mountain with Jasper. I love hiking with him as he's always on his best behavior while hiking and will even heel for us without any trouble. We often let him off his leash when its not crowded just to allow him to entertain us with his explorations. Sunday evening we grilled out and ate on the porch. What a wonderful weekend... I'm glad this one isn't far off!

To Cali and Back... hurry!

I feel like I haven't "lived" at home for almost a month now simply because I've been gone so much! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining as I've gotten to really enjoy a lot of old friends and visit family. The issue is the globetrotting has me exhausted... I mean beat tired and I'm very excited to be home for 2 full weeks.

One of the most difficult things about intern year is that there is very little time off in that they get one weekend off per month (and that means you're on call on Thursday and again on Monday). Wiggy had the honor of serving as a groomsman in his good friend Kurt's wedding in San Francisco last weekend. We were really excited to be able to attend as my college roomate Kristin, and good friend from Wake Lara played key roles in them coming together when Kurt moved to San Francisco (after transfering from WFU to UCLA) a few years ago and Lara invited him to a party to introduce him to people. It was there that he met Joanne, a high school mate of Kristins. So it's a sweet story that involves many people that I am close with made happen.

Fortunately we arrived to SFO early on Friday and were able to make the rehearsal dinner of German food in honor of Kurt's heritage. We were at the bride's aunt's beautiful home in the hills of Orinda, and I knew I wasn't in the South East anymore! That night we crashed as the wedding party had to be up early. We had the pleasure of staying at Kristin's parents house and receiving some Kuhn hospitality.

The wedding took place at Stanford Chapel which is absolutely beautiful. It was nice to visit an area of SFO that was new to me. We then headed to one of Kristin's high school friend's parents' houses for drinks and fellowship before heading to the reception which was in the VERY nice Catholic School that Kristin and Joanne attended. The food and party were incredible and it was hard to believe it was time to leave already.

Someday, after residency, we will return for a long West Coast trip to LA, SFO, and to visit Coach and Mrs. Kurt Schmid to cheer on the Sounders!

Weddings Galore!

Over the fourth of July I was in Philly for my dear friend Julia's wedding. We all arrived on Wednesday evening (delayed of course) and headed out for a quick drink and catch up session. The wonderful thing about my Wake girls is that we always pick right up where we left off.

Thursday morning was mani/pedis and then we had a nice lunch and wandered that afternoon before the rehearsal and a lovely Italian dinner and Vino.

Friday morning was hair and makeup before a long photo shoot complete with the bride and groom's emotional moment of seeing eachother for the first time, adorable! The wedding was on the roof top of the Franklin Institute and was just gorgeous. The reception took place in the white marble room with Ben's statue. The entire event was just magnificent and the bride absolutely sparkled.

Saturday allowed time for us to check out the Liberty Bell and more exploring around the city. I also got a chance to shop with my Mom for the first time in a very long time, always a blast! We had Philly Cheese Steaks for lunch, yummy, and tart fro-yo for a snack. Saturday evening the entire wedding party got together to listen to the Roots and Sheryl Crow and watch the wonderful fireworks. It was really a lovely reunion for all of us Wake girls and a nice mini-vacation as we had a good bit of time to relax and tour a city that I wasn't expecting much from, but really impressed me. I also must mention the wonderful greenways full of statues and landmarks that allow one a history lesson while running, you can't beat that!

June Hoopla

It's been a while since I wrote as the last few weeks have been quite full on this end. After Jamaica it took us a week to get back in the swing of things and catch up around the house and at work. Wiggy and I purchased road bikes and I'm very excited to get started. I'm a bit terrified of my toe clips, but I'm sure I will adjust quickly. We also played a lot of tennis after all the free lessons we got in Jamaica. We've got to keep practicing so we don't forget what we learned!

Last weekend we had the opportunity to meet all of Wiggy's fellow interns at a picnic (he had a ropes course that morning as well). Everyone is so cool and laid back... I think it's going to be a really great group for him. Last Monday was Wiggy's first day of orientation and tomorrow will be his last before he's set loose delivering babies as his first rotation is OB. My poor husband is terrified of OB and of the stresses of being on call. He's about to pull his hair out with nerves.. not sure what they told him at orientation, but I'm desperately trying to remind him that he'll survive just fine.

This weekend was my friend Bethany's wedding. I arrived home on Thursday night with my friend Andi who lives an hour from me in NC. We got in super late then it was up on Friday to decorate the reception site. We had a nice lunch on the lake and then headed home for a quick nap (or so I thought) before the rehearsal. I arrived to find 25 nutrisystems bar and snack wrappers (yep I counted) strewn about my parents house courtesy of a fat and miserable Jasper. Fortunately he was fine by the next day after a long night of an upset tummy. Will he ever learn? The wedding on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and the 80s band for the reception was fantastic and kept the energy rolling. Now we're back and I have 2 more days before leaving for wedding weekend #2 of 3. So glad I get to see everyone over these couple of weeks, but wish I had a bit more of a break!

Wedding season is in full swing as is intern season... here we go!