Week Three

Gooood morning week three! So, today is a holiday, no work. But, as my boot camp instructor said on Friday, "It might be a national holiday, but it's not a boot camp holiday." So, all weekend I have been preparing myself to get up and go even if I don't have to continue my day by going to the gym to shower, going to work, etc. I woke up at 4:57. Then for three minutes I guess I was half asleep, then freaked out when my alarm went off at 5. Hate that half-between-sleep part of waking up. I knew I was awake and didn't have to get up for three more minutes so I just stayed where I was and waited for the alarm to go off. Then when it did I jumped like I didn't know it was coming. Silly Keek. So I got up, got dressed (with my new arch support socks!) got in the car and off I went. Of course I called Oliver to whine and complain about not wanting to go, he told me that wasn't a good attitude and I argued that it didn't matter what kind of attitude I had, I was in the car on the way there, so what does it matter if I don't wanna go? I was going! But then, right after we got off the phone, who else but my girl Kelly Clarkson came on the radio! I blasted it and called him back to tell him that "now I am ready and wanna go!!!!" so he put the radio on the same station in his patrol car and we listened together for a minute:) Kelly always knows when I need her. So I was pumped and ready to go. Unfortunately today was super hard. There were only 10 of us there (normally 20-25) and it seemed like she was punishing us for the others not being there. We started with jumping jacks (which I hate...not necessarily the motion, but just the fact that my chest region isn't what you might call small and jumping up and down is just annoying) then went on to suicides, right away, THAT was the warm up. We did a ladder, so five of us did 1 suicide while the other half did jumping jacks, then we switched, then did 2 suicides, jumping jacks, 3 suicides, jumping jacks, then back down; 2 suicides, jacks, 1, jacks. UGH! I mean that was even difficult to TYPE, just think about actually doing it! After that we did some ab series and leg stuff on the ground, some wall sits, whatever whatever. At one point she told us to switch something and I guess I must have had an evil evil face on because she was like "whoa Caitlyn, don't look at me like that! You look like you want to kill me." Ha, I guess maybe I did at that point! But I didn't mean to look at her like that:)
Anyhow, I made it through another day. Then I drove home, got my new camera and went to the beach to take some sunrise pics. It was so fun using the super zoom lens and switching things up to take some pretty cool pics.
It's supposed to ice tomorrow morning, and if so that means no boot camp. And that really throws me off. Especially because I will be babysitting tomorrow and wont even be able to go to the gym after work instead of boot camp work out. I just need boot camp to happen 5 times a week the way it's supposed to.

Week Two

Welcome to week two of boooootcampppp! Not sure why I had so much energy at 5:00 this morning, but I did and I guess I shouldn't question it! Not that I was excited to be up that early, or to be going to push my body to it's limits, but I just was...awake I guess. I called Oliver on the way to boot camp (he's on the overnight tour, which means he works til 8 a.m. so of course he is up and probably the only other person I know that is awake) and said "gooooood morning!!!!!" He seemed pretty stoked that I was excited and not calling this time to ask him to just tell me I can do it, I can make it one more day, etc.

It wasn't that bad today. My soreness has almost disappeared and I asked our stand-in instructor (regular one is off running a half marathon somewhere in Florida) if I was over the super soreness part of this boot camp deal. He said probably not. Awesome. However, one of the other women in the class said the SUPER soreness is over, but I will still be sore. That's fine with me, I don't mind being sore from a workout, but the way I was last week? NO thank you! It took me until Saturday to be able to go up and down the stairs and in and out of my car without cringing in pain. I want my body to get used to this and crave it like it usually craves chocolate and potato chips. I even wanted to go to yoga at my gym this weekend, but...I slept through it. Guess that's what happens when I am up at 5 all week. (except that I did wake up at 4:56 a.m. on Saturday...but then went back to bed around 9 and missed the 11:00 yoga class..oops) So I got on our ancient stationary bike that serves mostly as a coat rack, peddled for a little while then did some stretching and wall squats with my exercise ball. I probably did all of the above in about 20 minutes, so don't be impressed. I am kind of wishing that this boot camp didn't cost so much regularly (without my LivingSocial deal) so that I could continue for longer than a month. Even though I am hoping it will make me WANT to be more active, I know that I am better at knowing I HAVE to be somewhere and that there are people there that can hold me accountable. When this is over, I think I will want to go to the gym, but I know myself and I honestly don't know if I actually will go....

Still Standing...

Standing, yes...any other type of movement? Not so much. Today was day three of the new routine. Day three of waking up at 5, boot camping til 6:45, then working. I also nanny on Tuesdays. If you can call it that! My favorite Greenwich family consisting of three little girls, whom I have known since the youngest (now almost 3) was in mommy's belly. I adore these girls, their parents and spending time with them. So, every Tuesday I pick the older two up from school, go home to the little one and hang out with them until after dinnertime. Anyhow, point is, yesterday was my first boot camp AND babysitting Tuesday. Which made for a rough Wednesday 5 a.m. I was exhausted at work and ready to pass out around 2:00. It's now 3:30 and I think that means pajama time.

However, I will admit my legs are a TINY bit less sore, but that's not saying much. I am such a baby. At boot camp today we did suicides, which is like the pacer test you do in gym class where there are six lines a few feet apart and you have to run back and forth to each one, bend down and touch it, then run back to the start point (i.e. run, touch line one, run back to start, run touch line two, run back to start, etc.) We also did more squats, some mountain climbers, jumping jacks, yadda yadda. Needless to say, today was day three of bootcamp, but day one of Caitlyn needing to use her inhaler. Ugh. I have exercise induced asthma and I rarely need my inhaler. I don't like taking it because it makes me shake, so mostly I just talk myself down from asthma attacks when working out, or just not work out at all! ha...Anyhow, it takes a lot for me to need it. Usually when running or swimming. The second round of suicides were what did it to me this time. But there I was, floundering through sprints, wall sits and push ups. Point being I was there. And I will continue to be there. Until this session is over. Which on the website currently says "January 3-TBA" Awesome.

Boot Camp

So, here we are another however many ridiculous months since either of us posted. This blog is an outlet, so here's me letting out some things. About a month or so ago there was an ad on LivingSocial (if you don't use it, get started now!!) for Fairfield County Adventure Boot Camp. As I always do before purchasing a LivingSocial deal, I went to the website, researched it and decided it was a fantastic opportunity. One month of unlimited boot camp (normally almost $300) I got for about $80. It is a women-only exercise program that during spring and summer months, is outside, pilates on the beach, jogging on trails, etc. That part intrigued me, however, I joined when it is winter so we are inside. Anyhow, it was very enticing, for all ages, weights and physical fitness. No two days the same, all sorts of workouts, all you need to bring is 5lb weights, a workout mat and yourself. (I had everything on that list.) I signed up for the January session at the end of November because I thought starting in the new year would jump start me back into my workout routine (which I pretty much fell out of MONTHS ago.) This was also even before we moved our wedding date up 5 months! So thank goodness I signed up! The session is five days a week for one hour beginning at 5:45 a.m. Crazy? YES! I don't have to get up for work until 7 a.m. Now, I will be waking up at 5ish and going to do crazy things to my body. Yeah, yeah I know it's healthy and I am excited about the health benefits. But after day one this morning, I am soooo sore already. Usually I don't get sore until the day after working out, but today...SUPER sore. To the point where I arrived at work and had to walk up the stairs from the parking lot and could barely make it up the 12 steps. My legs were shaking during the workout and continued to feel like jelly for a while, until the soreness set in and my muscles became tight. Not sure how I am gonna make it tomorrow! Also, let me mention the fact that there is no shower facility at this boot camp, so I could either drive the 10 miles back north on 95 to get ready for work at home, or drive the 2 miles to my gym in the same town to shower. So I chose the latter. However, this morning I forgot a towel. Had to dry off with a sweatshirt I had in my gym bag (it was clean, don't worry.) Then I sat in the sauna to dry off completely. Ugh. Needless to say, towel will be the first thing I pack tonight. I'll keep you updated with how this whole thing goes. The goal is to get somewhat back into shape with these 5-day 5 a.m. workouts so that when my boot camp is finished, I will WANT to go to the gym after work (or maybe even before depending on how this whole early-morning thing goes.) So, here's to hoping my plan works! (and I don't become cripple in the mean time.)

The Proposal

So there was really never any question who my Maid of Honor would be...and the lucky winner is Miss Hollee E. Higbea. Or really, the lucky winner is me:) Hollee is the greatest, most wonderful best friend any girl could ask for and the absolute epitome of what a Maid of Honor should be for me; someone who knows me almost better than I know myself at times. Someone who can tell me "that dress is NOT for you" without making me feel bad about myself. Someone who understands when I might cry over what may seem like a silly wedding detail to anyone else. Someone who can tell what I need over the phone just by the way I say "hey." Someone who will take any stress away from me a year prior to, or the day of my wedding. Someone who my fiancé adores. This Maid of Honor is a best friend on steroids (in a good way!)
I know that no matter the time of night, no matter what she is doing, where she is, who she is with...Hollee is there for me. I know I will need her to help me plan, help me stay sane, help remind me to have fun with the planning, and most of all just be standing right next to me when I make a lifelong commitment to my other best friend. The day of our wedding, these words will be spoken:
Oliver- "I do."
Caitlyn- "I do."
Hollee- " and I do too."

Thanks for saying yes to my proposal:)

Last Published Sept. 19th.... UNacceptable

Ugh, we are terrible. Last post was seriously almost 2 months ago. Hollee and I have seen each other a total of three times since then and have not posted a thing. Not that we need to see each other to write about our lives...So, anyhow, tonight you get two posts. This one, as a general catch up on life, and the next one that will be so great you wont know what to do with yourself.
So, let's make this post about my job. I LOVE my job. I guess I kind of always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but now that I actually am, I couldn't be happier with my choice of career. I do know that I would still love to write screenplays or children's books or novels, or somehow be involved in the media field...but I am happy doing what I am doing and I can still write on the side because teaching allows time for that. (sometimes;)
I went into college as a Pre-Veterinary Med major. That's right, Pre-Vet Medicine. After finding out that Longwood only offered a two-year pre-med program and then I would have to transfer somewhere to do the Vet thing, (and taking into account that I am extremely lazy) I switched to Communication Studies. Best choice ever. (Not only cause that was one of the reasons Hollee and I met, but because Comm is the best department at LU:) Even though I was at one of the top teaching schools in Virginia...if I knew I wanted to be a teacher, what the heck was I doing in Comm? Who knows? I just knew I liked "communicating" and it was the closest thing to media and public relations that Longwood had to offer. There was actually a shirt we got Freshman year that said something about putting the true meaning into talking during class. That was extremely fitting considering the fact that all through my younger school years "talking in class" was the biggest (and usually only;) complaint I got on my report cards. So anyhow, I had the best four years of my life as a Comm Major, graduated, got a job in the media field working for Ascent Media as an Encode Operator...basically I watched TV (Biography Channel, A&E, History Channel) for 40 hours a week and got paid lots of money. While the money was great, the job...not so fulfilling. I am a people person, and sitting in front of three monitors all day wasn't really for me. So, I decided to leave Ascent when an amazing opportunity arose for me. I moved to Italy for three months and lived with a family to be their Au Pair. Before I left the states, I applied to grad school for Elementary Education. I took the entrance exam (the first Praxis) like 3 days before I left and found out while in Italy that I was accepted to Sacred Heart University to get my Master's in Elementary Ed. So began my journey into the education field.
If I were to explain everything that has happened since I graduated from grad school, that would be a whole series of blogs on it's own (ridiculous CT job market for teachers, terrible principals, getting screwed by a school district, the list goes on.)
But today, I teach Pre-K to the greatest 4 and 5 year olds in the world. I love going to work everyday, planning what to do with them, seeing how excited they get when they get something right. Whether it is zipping up their coat on their own, writing their name or making some sort of connection to a story we read, the look on their faces is priceless and their excitement is contagious. I have twelve little sponges that soak up everything I say or do and I love it.

Living Life Shouldn't Get in the Way

So...it's been almost a full month since we've blogged! No excuse really...however, I will give some excuses anyway:) Hollee just moved to a new place and began her new job. I have been getting acclimated to my new job as well; getting the classroom ready, meeting my new colleagues and then school actually began, so things have been crazy. Oh! I also got engaged:):):) Big news! More on that to come on a nice little wedding website though:)

We said we'd tell you all about Hollee's trip up here, and it just seems like it was so long ago now. We had an awesome time, hung out with Oliver (who showed the ring to her some time while I was in the shower or something!!) and went out her first night here. We had a lot of fun, skype partied with A.P., met some Danish boys at a bar, had some of my friends from up here come out and meet us. The next day we went to the beach and relaxed most of the afternoon, came home and watched TV and took a little nap before heading out to Rye Playland in Rye, NY. My dad grew up in Rye and used to ride his bike there with his friends all the time when he was little. It's an amusement park on the coast on the LI Sound that was founded in the 1920's. It is fairly small, but SO great. Very cool rides, neat atmosphere, fun games and only about 20 minutes away! The Dragon Coaster is one of very few wooden roller coasters still in operation in the U.S. We went on that 2 or 3 times, and went on a ride that really felt like you were flying, it was so cool! And the park wasn't so packed on a Thursday night that we could keep going back on rides one after the other without much waiting in line. We went on the ride where you stick to the wall, some gnome water adventure where you ride a log through a bunch of tunnels, and a carousel where you are actually "riding and racing" the horse. We went on the Double Shot (one of those that shoots you up in the air and you fall with negative G-force!!) about a hundred times. It was hilarious. All in all, we had a great night, running around to different rides like little kids. We even went on a haunted house ride (which is geared toward probably 10 year olds). I wish someone had video footage of us in there. You ride in one of those slow roller coaster cars and weave your way through a dark haunted house with flashing lights, screams, fake skeletons, etc. If you know me at all...you know I was screaming the whole time. I closed my eyes so tight, had tears coming down my face from screaming and laughing so hard. It wasn't actually scary, but I just don't do well in that type of situation. It was hilarious, I must admit. Even I was laughing at my reactions. But when someone screams, how do you not scream back? I don't know. The very last minute of the ride there's a loud BANG and you look like you're going straight into the wall. The "wall" opens up and it's a door to the outside, where people can stand and watch your reaction while you think you are screeching headfirst into a wall. Needless to say, the man waiting for his children to come off the ride got a kick out of two 25/26 year old girls coming out screaming. So, Playland was great, it was a nice KeekandHollz adventure. Then, the next day, Hollee had to leave:(
It was so wonderful having my best friend up here to visit. I sometimes wish that we could just shrink New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland...then VA would be SO MUCH closer to CT!!
Ah well, guess that's what BoltBus, Amtrak and JetBlue are for!