Ease into 5K – Week 6, Day 3

Did I tell y’all I’m doing Ease into 5K workouts to get my knee back into running? I mostly go after work at the greenway near my job. Rising temps are about to make this problematic, so I will need a plan B soon.

Occasionally on weekends, HH will come with me. Today’s workout was to walk a 5 minute warm up, then 20 minutes continuous jogging.

For whatever reason, HH wanted to start the warm up at a point that would have us start our RUN at the bottom of this hill:

Why? But we did. He told me before we got started that if he fell behind, I should go on without him. By the time we got to the top of the hill, his calf was tightening up so he stopped to stretch. I looked back and he wasn’t there. I kept going.

I was hoping to be within 11:00 – 11:15, but according to the gps I averaged 10:57 for this run. Winning! It was a pressing pace though. I should have taken it easier.

I had to finish the last 30 seconds of running at the bottom of that same hill (the course is a loop). Whew! Hills build character. Or something like that.

After my 5 minute cool down, I walked back to HH (who actually wasn’t that far back) and we continued walking the rest of the 2nd lap for a total of 3.6 miles.

Here is the workout summary according to the Ease into 5K app:

Afterwards we went downtown to hang at the park, and stopped at a pizza place for early dinner. Lots of tempting things, but I ultimately went for a salad with grilled shrimp.

There was some kind of event going on in the park with music and people, so we sat at one of the picnic tables and watched and talked, then headed home.

Sunday is the one day when neither of us has to work. I love it when we make the most I our time. 🙂

Day 3: My First Love

*cues up Rene & Angela…the original song version…lol*

Picture it: Syracuse, 1985…Jheri Curls, jamz shorts, and jelly shoes all running amok. This is the backdrop for the meeting of the future class couple. Of course, we didn’t know it then.

My parents sent me to Catholic school starting in Kindergarten (this is after going to the Jewish Community Center for nursery school. Diverse much?). All the rest of the kids in my neighborhood were walking to public school and having fun. By the time it was time to start 5th grade, I wanted to join in the reindeer games. I just just knew my mom was gonna say no, so I had my logical arguments all prepared. But she didn’t protest.

I started 5th grade knowing only my cousin, and the kids from my neighborhood. I had no idea who he was. I actually had a little crush on his cousin. LOL! In 6th grade, one of his friends kept coming up to me and telling me that he liked me. I would always say, “yeah, right!”

He continued dropping the same hints in junior high, but I didn’t buy it. Especially since he took my BFF to the 8th grade semi formal. LOL!

9th grade rolled around, and my BFFs conspired, along with my sister, to plan me a surprise birthday party for my 14th birthday. My mom got me out of the house by taking me clothes shopping. Normally a very enjoyable activity, but not this time. My BFFs had told me they were coming to pick me up to go to the movies, and I kept thinking we were going to be late getting back, so I was driving my mom crazy. I guess this is where my disdain for being late was developed. LOL!

The party was to be at my house at 8:00pm. Everyone had been given invitations at school, unbeknownst to me, including him. I mean, I was totally clueless. So imagine my surprise when we pull up in the driveway, and then a car pulls up and drops him off. Huh?

Me: um, hi. What are you doing here?
Him: I just came by to say hi!
Me: *slightly anooyed* well, ok. But I’m not gonna be here long. BFF1 and BFF2 are coming to take me to the movies.
Him: that’s cool.
Me: (in my head) Seriously?!?

Needless to say, everyone else was already in the house, and when I opened the door, the party commenced! I was totally shocked. We had food, dancing, and fun.

Me opening gifts – sweater 15 sizes too big, lol

Him sitting in the right corner, talking to one of my friends.

Doing the Electric Slide, I think…musta got hot because I have shorts on…in January. LOL

At one point, the tape deck swung on over to some slow jams, and he and I got to dance together. I would say that’s the moment we really connected. At one point the music stopped (y’all remember auto-reverse…the tape needed a moment to change over), and we kept dancing. Everyone else stopped, but we kept going.

And yet, after all of that…we STILL didn’t get together! I know, right?

School went on, and that summer I saw him periodically. I decided that when we got back to school that September, I would profess my feelings and we’d live happily ever after.

WRONG!

Came back to school and he was dating this new chick! He met her during a summer program. *insert record scratch here* What?!? Nooooooooooo! What the deuce? Crushed my little 10th grade dreams, I tell ya! But I tried to play it cool and act like I was happy for him. I had a crush on this guy 1 grade ahead of me. We shared a kiss, and that was about it. LOL!

(This story is getting long. Go grab a snack. I’ll wait.)

G and I had a social studies class together that year. He sat a few seats behind me and was always sending me notes. I developed my snarkiness back then. I was like, “shouldn’t you be sending these notes to your girlfriend?!?” He kept persisting, and I didn’t stop him. Long story short, the girlfriend sent ME a note. Not a scathing one, just one that said she knew at we liked each other and she wasn’t mad. Alrighty then! They broke up, and we got together. Winning!

For about 4 months.

By that spring, we were getting on each others’ nerves. Or maybe he was getting on mine. IDK. I think I initiated the break up. I went on to date this IDIOT who was older than me, and he started dating a girl from another school.

The beginning of 11th grade, I started dating this guy, A. He went to another school, but I knew him from an inter-school program I was a part of, through SU. he was a nice guy, but honestly it was just something to do. That winter, we were going to have a winter formal dance. I asked A to take me to the dance, and he didn’t want to go. He claimed it was because he couldn’t dance (SN: how is your nickname Boogie, but you can’t dance?!?) Fine, dude. I’ma go with someone else! Hmphf.

You can guess where this is going…LOL

Yep. By this time, G had kicked his girl to the curb. I ended up breaking up with A over the phone, and the class couple was born. For real, this time. We didn’t really break up again until our freshman year of college. We went to the prom together, we were named class couple…we were pretty much joined at the hip. My family loved him. He was always at my house. He played football (with HH, actually. LOL!) and lacrosse…I ran track and played soccer. We were that typical HS couple.

College rolled around, and I was off to Buffalo. He was off to Morrisville. It was a tearful goodbye. Once I got my phone installed in my room, we were calling each other and writing. And then, the calls dwindled. I’d call, and his roommates always said he wasn’t there. My roommate’s boyfriend’s cousin was expressing an interest in me…all 6’2″ chocolate 250lbs of him…so, yeah. We returned home during our first fall break and decided to call it quits.

By the 2nd semester of school, I was tired of 6’2″. G had not gone back for his second semester and he was home. We naturally started talking again and drifted back together. He came up to school with my siblings to visit me, and we got back together. He said, “no breaking up this time?” and I said, “deal!” I really meant it, too. Totally pictured us being together forever.

Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. His dad worked for the Miller brewery in town, and they were closing the plant. To keep his job he had to transfer to Indiana. I was crushed. He tried to figure out ways to stay in town, but I didn’t want to hold him back. He left…and I never felt so sad in all my life. Like I physically had chest pain. I missed him so. Just like when we went to college, I tried to continue the communication, but he faded off.

We kept I touch sporadically through college. I would hear what he was up to through my BFF or other folks. I dated people in college, but I never fully committed because I always felt like he as going to come back into the picture. He ended up going back to school and became a Sigma. We were changing and growing.

Enter the Internet boom and good ol’ BlackPlanet. Yep. I had a page. So did he! We reconnected briefly. Then eventually he sent me the note that he was getting married, to his college sweetheart. I congratulated him, and a little piece of my heart broke off. I don’t know why we couldn’t shake this connection. Or maybe it was just ME who couldn’t shake it. He seemed to be doing just fine. At our 10 year HS reunion (2003), everyone kept asking me where he was. All I kept hearing that night was, “I just KNEW y’all were gonna get married.”

Life went on…and shortly after I broke up with Idiot (if you read my previous blog you’ll remember him) in 2008, G and I reconnected. He even came to visit in 2009, and he went to my friend’s wedding with me. Leading up to his visit I began to think, “are we really going to get this together this time?” I called my BFF like, oh my goodness! We might actually get back together!

Nope.

When he got here, the “spark” just wasn’t there anymore. That connection was missing. There was more effort on his part, but I didn’t feel it. We went to the wedding and had fun. But he had changed, and so had I. It seemed like he had been through some things that had hardened him. He didn’t have that positive vibe I was used to. He flew back home, and then his communication became sporadic again. That was all I needed to officially close the door. When a man really wants to be with you, he will make the effort to do so, no matter the distance or time. Period.

Everything happens for a reason. After his visit, I just decided that I needed a dang break. I went out on casual dates…the adventures of which were chronicled on FB. HH came into the picture and told me he’d have to show me how a man really should be treating me. Y’all know what happened from there.

So, when you look back on your first love, I hope you don’t feel regret. I don’t. He was in my life all those years for a reason. I wish him nothing but the best. 🙂

Day 2: Nicknames

I don’t have a lot nicknames. I have noticed lately at my new job that people are itching to shorten my first name. I’m not sure why. It’s not like its hugely long or difficult to pronounce.

I don’t know why, but as a child I hated the name “Cassie.” I can’t stand for people to try to call me that now, either. I cannot remember what the trigger was, but I just don’t like it. Hate the way it sounds. Hate it. And it seems to be the FIRST name derivative everyone goes for. Why? LOL

It’s a daily struggle for my unit leader to NOT call me Cassie. Bless his heart. But he tries, so I forgive him whenever a “Cassie” slips out.

As for some other names I go by, in my circle of family and close friends:

CASS: this is what my family called me growing up. I don’t think my mom ever called my whole name unless I was in trouble. Then she’d call first and middle name. LOL! My siblings and close friends call me this as well.

DOLLY: when we were younger, my dad used to call me and my sisters his Dollies. I don’t know why, where it came from, never got to ask him. So now, my sisters and I all call each other Dolly. My oldest sister is “Big” Dolly, next oldest is “Middle” Dolly, and I’m “Little” Dolly. It helps us to distinguish who we’re talking about when we’re on the phone.

PUMPKIN: HH started calling me this early on in our relationship. I’m not sure where he got it from or why, but it just stuck. I always love to hear him say it.

But yeah…if you want to start on the wrong foot with me, it would be by calling me “Cassie,” 4 minutes into meeting me. LOL!

This happened today

Friggin’ tractor trailer tread got kicked up into my car during rush hour and I couldn’t avoid it.

Got home and backed into the driveway, so I never walked around the front of the car. Didn’t realize the extent of the damage until HH burst through the door asking me if I was ok and what happened.

I looked at him like, “wha?” and then I remembered I hit that damn tread.

Best case scenario is they will consider it a flying object and then I’ll only have I pay my $50 comp ded, as opposed to my $250 colln ded.

Sigh.

In other news, I used the State Farm pocket agent app to report the claim. I give it 2 thumbs up. It lets you describe the accident and upload photos. You can even do a scene diagram if necessary. Gotta love technology. My iMixtress #altareagle (I love twitter) was truly excited to report the claim via an app, rather than having to call.

HH is in time out right now. When I lamented that my Cowboys vanity tag got demolished, he said, “well, at least some good came out of it…”

That RGIII draft musta went to his head!

And I’m getting a new tag as soon as the damage is fixed. I know exactly where the kiosk is in Concord Mills. Hmphf.

Day 1: Intro, Photo, and 15 Interesting Facts

Here I is!

(along with my wonderful fiancé, of course)

15 FUN FACTS ABOUT ME:

I competed in the Empire State Games when I was in high school. Ain’t bring home nary a medal, but I was there! I got the pics to prove it.

If I’m eating a meal with multiple items (like rice, a veggie, and a meat), I eat a little of each thing at a time until the whole meal is gone.

I was an INROADS intern for four summers. Four hot azz summers in stockings, business suits, and Saturday workshops. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

There were 240 people in my HS graduating class; I was ranked 8th.

I used to take piano lessons, but I was horrible with reading music, especially the bass clef.

I lived in 3 different floor plans in the same apartment complex once. Every year I felt like I needed more space. LOL!

I’ve never been to the West Coast.

I can’t swim.

I’m signed up to participate in the Rambling Rose Triathlon in September (which makes the item above kinda crazy, lol)

My favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is What A Cluster.

I’m just now learning how to play Spades. We never played growing up, and I went to a small school.

I think MLB is the most boring sport in the history of sports. I just don’t get it. It’s like watching paint dry.

I hate to cook. HH is better at it than I am. LOL

I’ve never broken a major bone (I don’t count the pinky toes.)

I walk around barefoot a lot.

And that’s me! 🙂

Another 30 Day Blog Challenge

I ain’t saying no names, but somebody (*cough* Mile High Miss *cough*) used to rag on me all the time for my infrequent blogging. LOL! Do I have vowed to to better this time. This morning I was reading SingleMa’s blog and decided that I would find a challenge to do for myself. I figure that’ll get me into the habit of blogging on the regular.

So, I scoured Google and finally settled on this blog challenge from Miss Taylor Cast. Yeah, it’s old. But it’s new to me. 🙂

And here it is:

Hopefully, I won’t completely bore you, and you’ll learn some interesting facts along the way.

We Fancy, Huh?

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that I have give HH (my fiancé) the nickname Frugal MacDougal. that’s actually the name of a liquor store right over the border in SC, where you can get alcohol for cheaper than here in NC. Hence the “frugal.”

I call him this because he is definitely the “saver” in this relationship. Which is actually a good thing, because it provides a balance, and is a good influence on me. He hates debt, and I like that about him. Love it. But I digress.

HH thinks the Dollar Tree is the greatest place ever. Well, any dollar store, but we mostly have DTs. If you’ve ever seen “Legally Blonde” (the first one, not that horrid sequel), there’s a scene where Elle has to go interview a witness at a spa. One of the attorneys says to her, “a spa? Isn’t that, like, your mothership?”

The Dollar Tree is HH’s mother ship. Whatever beings brought the Dollar Tree to Earth, those are his people.

It’s a running joke with us now. Matter of fact, I remember telling him that he could not get my engagement ring from the Dollar Tree. IJS. I know they sell earrings. I was just putting it out there.

Whenever I come home and there’s something new in the house, or some generic meds or something, he’ll be like, “and guess where I got those from?” the answer is never Harris Teeter, Walmart, or Bilo. It’s the Dollar Tree. In his mind, I spend too much on Claritin, when we can get Assured Rx Allergy Relief for a DOLLAR!

A couple of weeks ago, I came home to these in the yard:

I sent him a text:

Me: hey! Nice lights. Can’t wait to see them at night. (it was still light out)
HH: Guess where those came from?!?
Me: *facepalm*

Because I KNOW they don’t sell no dang solar yard lights at the Dollar Tree.

Oh, but they do. The Dollar Tree tryna get fancy, huh? I guess I need to give Dollar Tree their props. LOL!

Wedding Plans

So…the wedding planning has not really kicked in, beyond basic ideas and plans. So far we know the following:

• we’re getting married in our hometown
  
• we’re trying to keep it at 100 people
  
• the estimated budget is $5-7K
  
• we’re trying to do this without incurring debt
  
• I’m not wearing a traditional wedding gown, and he’s not wearing a tux
  
• my brothers are walking me down the aisle
  
• my oldest brother will have DJ duties
  
• one of his sisters said she’s buying our cake for us, lol
  
• the ceremony and reception will take place in the same venue
  
• we’re not having a boatload of bridesmaids and groomsmen. Maybe one person to stand up for each of us.
  

After that? I don’t know. I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and do anything else since we got engaged on 3/29. It’s hard to pick a venue in a city you don’t live in. Of course, I have my mom and a couple of his sisters have offered to help as well. My BFF is up there, too…she probably knows me the best and will most likely be tasked with looking at venues for me (she volunteered for this, I didn’t mandate it. LOL)

My BFF who lives in D.C. has already jumped on the task of finding shops up there for me to shop for my lehenga choli (that’s Indian wedding attire consisting of a short jacket, long skirt, and wrap). I’ve been posting pics on Instagram and Twitter of styles and colors. I’ll make my final decision when I head up to DC and see the dresses in person. You can order online, but I don’t want to chance it, and end up with something crazy.

For the married folks: how did your wedding planning go? Did your hubby give much input? What would you do differently (if anything)?

Welcome!

So…this is the new blog! What do you think of my header?

We’re still under construction, so bear with me. So much stuff has happened since I stopped writing on the old blog. Namely, I AM NOW ENGAGED! 

Yep. HH is signing on for the random craziness for the rest of his life. #winning

I’m in the midst of trying to plan this small wedding, save money, get used to my new job, cohabitate with HH, keep him and Bogey from taking each other out, finding time to exercise and still try to do some yoga. Just typing that made me tired.

Anywho, like I said, bear with me through the “construction” process! Pull up a seat, grab a ginger beer, and make yourself comfy.