Zen of the day

Too true. Too true.

Why?

I have a lot of questions. Mostly these questions are about me. Why did I just do that? Why does this always happen to me? What am I doing?! What's my deal? Where the hell am I going?

Today though, I will ask this question. Why is my face breaking out like I'm 15 years old? I'm gonna be 30! This should not be happening, right? I drink a lot of water and I wash my face with Neutrogena face wash that supposedly "helps fight breakouts and blackheads." Liars!!!
I tend to go through spurts where I don't have any breakouts for a while and then...WHAM! I have Mount Vesuvius on my face and it's really pissed off.

I'm will probably have breakouts until I freakin' die.

Hello from Ryan and Rocky!!

Revenge is Mine!!!

If you know me at all then you would know that I do not like Peyton Manning. This stems back to my freshman year of college at Auburn (he was a senior at Tennessee) and we played them in the SEC Championship game in "Hot-lanta." Auburn was beating the pants off of Tennessee and then about middle of the 3rd quarter, Peyton decided to be Peyton and ended up beating Auburn by a touchdown or two. I was working with the football team at the time and would have gotten a championship ring....but NO!!!! Stupid Peyton Manning....of course Auburn also decided to stop playing at that point in the game, but I digress.


Ryan called me yesterday and asked me, "You wanna go to the Colts' game tomorrow night? I got free tickets!"
Ryan likes the Colts but has been a Bears' fan since he was a sperm. "We can go check out the new stadium!"

"Okay," I said. I was pretty interested to see the inside of the Lucas Oil Stadium. It's gotten a lot of hype and it dwarfs the old arena where the Colts used to play. I had to see what it looked like on the inside. Plus...this was my chance. Peyton was within my grasp. I've always said that if I got close enough to him that I would kick him in the shin. Retribution for taking that ring away.
Now that he had surgery on his knee, this would be a devistating blow. He could be out 6 more weeks!!!!

Well, we weren't able to leave to go to the game until about 6pm- for a 7pm kick-off. So by the time we fought our way downtown through traffic, parked (about 6 blocks away), and walked to the stadium...the second quarter was under way. Oh well. We walked in and the entire inside of the stadium has an open feel to it. You walk in on the concourse and look immediately down to the field. It was really cool. We decided to do a lap around the stadium before we found our seats. They had food everywhere (my kind of place), giant video game screens where people could play a football like an actual quarterback, vendors...the works. It was cool. On the opposite side of the main entrance, there is a giant picture window that shows everyone the sky line of downtown Indy. It was awesome to see when the lights came on at night. We had a great time.

We decided to find our seats up in the 6th level. We found the hallway to walk up the ramps. Big mistake. The damn things didnt freakin' stop!!!! It was ridiculous!!! We kept turning corners and seeing another freakin' ramp at a 30 degree angle going up. Trudging up the 5th ramp, the calves were starting to burn, and a pretty big guy with a large beer speed walked up the ramp passed us. I remember thinking, that I must be really out of shape. That guy is twice my size and is getting up the ramp faster than me. And I was walking a normal pace.

"What the hell?!" Ryan finally said, stopping before the 10th ramp. "Just leave me here. This is crazy. They don't stop! We're not doing this on the way down. We'll find the escalators."

"There are escalators?" I asked. "Why didn't we take those up?!"

"Because I didn't think there would be a million ramps!!!" Ryan exclaimed.

We turned to go up yet another ramp and I saw him. The speed walker. He was standing infront of the ramp, sweating profusely and breathing like he was having a baby. I was about to ask if he was okay when he put his cup to his lips and chugged half his souvenir cup beer down in about 1 gulp. Then he started trudging up the ramp. I shook my head and laughed to myself as we walked right by him up the ramp.

We sat in our seats and unfortunately I realized, "Hmmm. Not gonna be close enough to kick him."
The big give away would be the fact that we could practically touch the ceiling of the stadium and the players looked like the little green army men size. Except, they were blue.

Anyhoo, the game stunk and was really boring, so we ended up leaving at the end of the 3rd quarter to beat traffic. We took the escalators down.

Goodbye summer

WHADDAYA MEAN SCHOOL'S ABOUT TO START?!

Ode to Planning

This is really not a bad idea!!!!!

I've been making some good progress with all the wedding shinanegans. We've got the venues, got the cake baker-people, the dress, and am in the process of getting the photographer. I can definitely see how this can get way to much and drive people crazy. But then I think of this:

And I feel a lot better.

Its gonna be a great time!!!!

Wedding Website

Here is the link to our wedding website. Not too much on it yet, but we have locations for both the ceremony and the reception. Our date is set:

June 5, 2009

http://chambersandgalloy.weddings.com/


Yeah yeah!

Karma: part 2

The radio in my car shorted out yesterday after I left work...told you it would come back to get me.

Karma

I ran over a chipmunk today on the way to work...I tried to avoid it but it didn't work out so well. That one is going to come back and get me. I just know it.

It's been a while

Well, I haven't posted anything for a while. A lot has happened, yet nothing has really happened. Everything is still the same. I'm still engaged, still working, still living my life. Shall I recap my past month?

We went to the Indy 500 Memorial Day weekend (first time for me), and had a ball! I've been to Key West for a week with Ryan for vacation, then we flew out to Pasadena, CA for an old friend of Ryan's wedding. We then spent the last week in St. Louis, MO for our national convention. Oh, and I lost my camera. :( I've been home for a total of three days in the past three weeks. It's been hectic, but fun. We are finally home for a bit and now my mother is coming for a visit.

As far as wedding planning goes...well, it isn't right now. I'm starting to get back in the swing of things. Our main goal is to nail down the place to have our wedding in the next couple weeks. That is a must.

So you see, a lot has happened but then not a lot. I'll put up some pictures when I get them.

Surprise of my life!!

I had to go out of town this past weekend for a conference. I left Saturday and returned on Monday. Ryan went home to Illinois for his nephew's birthday party, so he left early Friday morning. I went to the conference and hung out with friends and colleagues I haven't seen in a while (including my BFF Sara) and learned a few knew things along the way.

On my way home Monday, Ryan called and asked how much longer until I got home and I told him, about an hour and a half. He then told me to make sure I didn't eat because he was making dinner.
"Okay," I said. "Whatcha makin'?"
"It's a surprise." he said. So of course I immediately think he ordered a pizza. I figured we would eat on the couch while watching Family Guy or something. I get home about 8:00pm and drag my stuff inside the house from the garage. I open the door and step inside to see rose petals on the floor. At first I didn't know they were rose petals. I thought Rocky destroyed something that I was going to have to clean up. "Oh great." I thought. "What did he get into?" Then I really saw what they were.

"What is this?" I said aloud to no one in particular. I followed this trail of rose petals, ditching my stuff at the door, all the way to our dining room.

There was Ryan sitting at the table with candles, a vase of red roses, and dishes set out all ready to serve dinner.
"Oh my God!" I said, my jaw dropping. "Wow!!! What's the occasion?!"
"Because I wanted to make you a nice meal cuz I love you and you deserve it." Ryan replied standing up from the table.

Timeout.
I have to tell you about what exactly I looked like, at the time. My chin decided to explode a few days before (thank you very much Aunt Flow). I took out my contacts at some point on the road because my eyes were red and tired. So I had on my glasses that the dog decided to chew on about a year and a half ago. My hair was windblown and up in a messy ponytail, and I was wearing my work khaki pants, and Ball State Athletic Training polo. Hot, right?
Ryan was showered, wearing a nice casual shirt and nice khaki pants. He even was wearing cologne (I realized this later).
Time in.

"Wow!" I said again, sitting down at the other place setting, after I kissed him hello. "This looks amazing!"
You would think that at this moment I would start to put it together...well, obviously I'm stupid. I was oblivious. Ryan takes my bowl and gives me salad with homemade dressing, and then places a slice of Italian bread on a plate with pesto, red peppers, and olive oil. I'm still completely flabbergasted at everything, thinking, "This is so romantic."
After the salad, he took my plate and put on the main course: grilled chicken pesto fettuccine. It was really good. Now, an active observer would have realized that when he served himself he only put about a fist full of food on his plate and was barely eating.
At one point I shivered and realized that it was absolutely freezing in the house. "Is the air on?" I asked him. "Yeah, I was sweating like crazy while I was cooking." Ryan said. I asked him if we could turn it off and he looked at me with pathetic, pleading eyes "Can we keep it on a bit longer? I'm still sweating." Still, I didn't put it together.

I was about halfway done with my food but was starting to get full. I said this to him and he grabs my plate while I'm still holding my fork and takes it away. "Dessert time." he said.
"Okaaay." I said, putting my fork down.
Ryan walked back into the dining room carrying a plate and a small cake. I see the cake first and think, "Why did he get a cake?!"
"It's ice cream cake." he said, seeming to read my thoughts.
Oh! Ice cream! Okay! I start to get a bit excited. I love ice cream!
He put the cake down on my right and then put down a platter in front of me. I looked at the platter and it had chocolate syrup on it. I realized after a second that the syrup actually said something.
My hand flew up to my mouth and I stared at it and then exclaimed, "WHAT?!" By this time Ryan was standing to my left, so I looked from the plate to him, still with my hand over my mouth. "WHAT?!?" I exclaimed again.
Ryan then got down on one knee, pulled out a ring from his pocket and asked me, "Will you marry me?"
Me being the composed romantic, asked him, "Are you serious?!"
"I knew you were going to say that." he said and gave me a frustrated look.
"Oh my God!" I said looking at the ring and then at him. "Yes." I said and laughed. I held out my hand and Ryan put the ring on me.

I sat there for about half an hour trying to get a grasp on what just happened. "Now you know why I couldn't eat and was sweating so much!" Ryan said. He had gone with his sister and brother-in-law to a jeweler in his hometown and picked it out that previous Friday. He said he had been feeling like he was going to throw up for three days because he was so nervous.
The ring is exactly what I would have chosen. It is a white gold band with a circle cut diamond in a solitaire setting. I love it.
He proposed exactly how I wanted him to, with just me and him and in such a romantic setting. I'm surprised I didn't cry but I think I was too shocked to even think about crying. I couldn't have wanted anything more...except maybe to not look like total crap during it. But...that is my karma I guess. Makes for a better story, right?

Sign of the apocalypse?

I'm sitting here at work...you know...working, and I have our t.v. on because it is eerily quiet around here these days. The Today Show is on and I'm not really paying any attention to it. I just like the noise.

I'm feeling pretty productive when all of the sudden I hear: "Step by step...ooooo baby....really want you in my woooorrrrrlllld." My head snaps up and I whirl around in my chair to face the t.v. because my 4th grade brain cells start screaming at me that, "Hey! You know that song...by heart."

My mouth drops open and I stare in horror at five grown men that I haven't even thought of since I was 9. New Kids on the Block are doing a reunion tour or something. Shouldn't they be called New 30 to 40 Year Old Men on the Block?

The end is nigh.

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to "Nephew Turo!!!!!"

I can't believe you are 7 years old today! I hope it was a great one! Keep your eyes peeled for you gift. Love you!

Jedi

The other morning, I rolled out of bed and started trudging around the bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and trying to figure out whether to a) shower first, or b) eat first. Now, I have to tell you that Ryan and I are complete opposites in the morning. Once his eyes open, he is all smiles and energy. I, on the other hand, need about 10 minutes wake up and decide if I am happy to be awake or not.
This morning, Ryan was egging me on about something and I was getting frustrated because I decided to be easily frustrated this particular morning. For some reason he was talking about his very famous Jedi powers. And I guess I was saying something kind of snide in that regard while I walked by the bed and wouldn't you know it, I banged the crap out of my knee. I hit that sweet spot on your patella that makes your eyes water, suck your breath in through your teeth, and renders you handicapped for about 2 minutes.
"You see." Ryan said. "I made you do that."

So proud, Yoda would be. :)

Why do I always look the worst?

Here are some photos after the mini marathon Saturday. No comments on how grotesque I look...believe me, I realize.

Me, Shawn, Lainie, and Michelle

Me and Michelle

Me and Shawn

Ryan, Rocky, and me

FINISHED!

Well, I did it! I ran the mini marathon this past Saturday. It went pretty well overall. I finished it in 2 hours and 19 minutes. Last year I finished in 2 hours and 14 minutes...oh well. Maybe next time (if there is a next time) I will try to beat my best time. This year I ran it with a friend of mine named Michelle. She and I normally run about the same pace. Since it was her first time to run it, we implemented a strategy that my dad told me to use last year: "Kiddo, we were built for distance, not speed. Start out slow and just go slower as you go. It's worked for me for years!" Thanks Dad. So, that's what we decided to do. However it always ends up that we start out slow and speed up as we go. Same difference really.

I was nervous this time around. So much so that I pretty much made myself sick that morning. Let's just say I was in the bathroom for a while before we left. So whatever I ate that morning before the run, didn't stay in me long...it came out in one form or another. So, I had a sense of impending doom before the race. We got to the race at 6:45am and Ryan looked at me and said, "Don't be a hero. I know you don't feel great, so don't hurt yourself." He's always the voice of reason. "Don't worry. If I don't feel good, I'll stop and catch a ride on the injury bus." I told him.

Ryan and Rocky came with us and cheered everyone on from the sidelines. So, Michelle, Shawn, Lainie, and myself all piled into our starting corral with the other 32,000 participants (just like cattle) and waited to go. We stood there for a bit and then I looked at Shawn and asked the perverbial question: "What are we doing this for again?"
Shawn gave the perverbial answer: "How the hell should I know?"
Excellent.

The gun went off (supposedly, but I didn't hear it from my spot 1/2 a mile back), and everyone started to go. It took us 15 minutes to cross the start line and then it is an endless game of bob-and-weave. Here are the rules:

1. Don't run into someone else's line if you can help it. You don't want to trip up yourself or anyone else.
2. Give a wide berth around people that are slower and infront of you.
3. Say "excuse me" when you are passing by someone so they know you are there, and "thank you" after you have passed them.
4. If you are going to stop and walk, make sure no one is close behind you that is running so you won't have a colision.

I don't think many people knew the rules. I have never had to dodge so many freakin' people in my life! They were cutting right in front of me and one guy actually stepped on my foot, that is how much he cut me off! But, that's what you get when you run with that many people.

The first 4 miles were good. Michelle and I talked and laughed and I tried to show her that this could be a lot of fun. We were enjoying it! The half-way point is on the Indianapolis 500 Speedway. This race track is 2.5 miles long and at a slant for the most part. There's no shade and everyone crams themselves onto the flattest part of the track. Needless to say, it's a lot of fun...nope. Once we entered the track, Michelle and I look up at a video screen and the first woman just crossed the finish line after 1 hour and 1o minutes. I looked at Michelle and said, "That does a lot for my ego. How 'bout you?"

Around mile 8 on the track, Michelle says, "Oh crap. I think I'm hitting the wall." In other words, she was almost done with her energy and it was feeling like she was about to literally slam into a wall. "No! You're doing great! Just keep going and you'll hit your second wind!" She kept going and made it all the way through. About mile 10.5, I felt I was starting to hit my wall. "Crap. Here I go." I said. But Michelle cheered me through.

We finished and both smiled all the way to get our tacky medals! Ryan saw us running down the last mile and cheered for us. When we met up with him later, he said, "Were you feeling okay? Last year you seemed in better spirits when I saw you at the same spot." I told him I was okay but trying to focus on finishing cuz I had nothing left.

We ate our complementary fruit, BBQ potato chips, and two bottles of water then headed for home. I got home, showered and immediately went to sleep for about 3.5 hours. It was awesome. I remembered why I am glad I did it, but I'm so freakin' glad it's done. Thanks to everyone who checked on me that day! Michelle took pictures afterwards so I will put them up when I get them.

www.500festival.com

Announcement

Ryan is the best!!!! He says so.

New friend

This is Bella. She is the dog of one of Ryan's softball coaches. We watched her for a full weekend last week and I have to say that she is soooo cute. Rocky and she had a great time playing. She is only one year old and Ryan and I definitely thank our lucky stars that Rocky is older now. We had some serious Vietnam-flashbacks to the endless energy of Rocky at one.

Dedication

I am putting a link on here that you must see. I literally had to cross my legs to not pee my pants when I saw this. I vaguely remember this commercial but oh-my-Lord! Too hysterical for words!

perfectfriends

I definitely want to acknowledge everyone that I've found in my life past and present that understand me:

1. Leslie- for the morning in 4th grade we cried over the phone when we heard Jon Bon Jovi got married. Or the time we decided to put temporary dread locks in our hair...or maybe sitting on your bed watching "My So-Called Life." I don't have many childhood memories without you in them.
2. Sara- for "the snort heard 'round the world" (and other infamous moments in the state of Georgia). I never would have made it through grad school without you. NEVER!
3. Sam- for being a good brother and the fact that we seem to have a language all our own when we hang out. And who can forget doing summer camp dances in the Smokey Mountain Brewery?!
4. Robin- for driving around Auburn with me all night sometimes while we have the windows rolled down, belting out whatever sappy songs were on the radio at the top of our lungs.
5. Kerry- for being someone that I can call and bitch to and vice versa. Apparently we are the only two sane people in our respective states! Obviously...
6. Mom- for being my rock. I find myself saying and doing things how you would and realizing that is not a bad thing at all! :)
7. Daddyo- for showing me I can fall and still get back up.
8. To everyone else that has left an imprint on my life...thank you. Mandy shows me how to be loyal and never give up on friends. iMollie (Cuz) is always someone I can look up to. JSJ (other Cuz) always had my back in high school and was most of the reason why people knew who I was...if I heard, "You're John Stewart's cousin?!" one more time before I graduated...

Much love.

Casey (aka: Case, Case-face, Cuz, Squirt, Daughter/Kiddo)

5.2

Well, if you have seen the news today maybe there was a blurb about an earthquake in the midwest....yes, it really happened. But wait, let me go back...


Last night a friend of Ryan's dropped off her dog for us to "babysit" for the weekend while she goes out of town. Bella is a one year old fawn boxer (brown with a white chest) and she is absolutely adorable. She and Rocky played and played and played all night. And I do mean ALL NIGHT! They were constantly waking us up last night. Finally, Rocky pooped out around 4:00am and Bella finally passed out around 4:30.

Next thing I know, I feel Bella jump off of me and run to our open windows and start barking like mad. Ryan props up on one elbow and I groan in frustration. I can hear other dogs in the neighborhood barking and I figure it's one of those "dog conversations," when suddenly...

The bed begins to shake and the pictures on our walls start to vibrate and bang on the walls.
"Honey!" Ryan says bewildered, throwing his arm onto me like a soccer mom. "Do you feel that?"
"Yeah! Is it the wind?" I ask in a fog. At this point I start to feel a twinge of fear thinking a tornado is coming but it only lasts a microsecond as I wake up and realize...
At the same time we both look at each other and say, "Is it an earthquake?!"
"Must be." I said as the vibrations stop and everything is quiet.

Now, it is widely known that animals can sense when these things happen. For example, Bella and the neighborhood dogs going crazy. Now wouldn't you know it that we happen to have the one animal that must be defective in this area! What did Rocky do? He was fast asleep, SNORING until the bed began to shake!
How did Dammit handle it? I don't know! After the incident I see that Dammit the Cat is no where to be found!!! Usually she is curled up on over half of my pillow, but obviously knew this was coming and took off to find a safe spot...leaving the rest of us with no idea!! Way to only think of only herself!

Anyway, we survived with no damage...it really wasn't that bad around us. A lot of people slept right through it. We turned on the news and people were all ready calling in. The anchors were hilarious! They kept asking, "So, what did you feeeel when the earthquake hit?" Every one of them would answer, "Well...I felt a lot of shaking." No kidding?

"Doh!" of the month

Earlier this month Ryan picked me up from the airport, and on our way home he gets behind a car in the fast lane.
"What the..?!" he asks no one in particular. "WHY ARE YOU GOING 45 MILES PER HOUR?!" he shouts at the car.
Just then, we pass the speed limit marker.
"Oh." he says. "Cuz the speed limit is 45."
I almost peed myself laughing.

Opening Day

This past Monday, Ryan and I took off from work and went up to Chicago to the White Sox's opening day at U.S. Cellular. Being the second time I was going to a Sox game, I had my standards set pretty high. Last year, we went to a Sox-Cubs game and had a ball.
"How can this compare?" I wondered. "Last time was awesome!"

We drive to the stadium for the 3:00 game and get there about 1:00...along with every other White Sox fan on the planet. We pull off the interstate and are immediately stopped due to the massive overload of traffic. The stadium is situated so that traffic must circle the block to get to
"common folk" parking. Well, after an hour of trying to get down the first street to get to the parking lot (and a large diet coke later), the attendants throw out the sign that the lot is full and we have to go to the additional parking three blocks away.

"Are you serious?!" Ryan says to no one in particular. "Where are we supposed to go do you think?" he asks me.
"Uhhh. I don't know. You are asking the wrong girl. This is your area." I said, realizing that I really had to pee.
Another attendant brought out an arrow sign showing us to go away from the stadium and in the distance I can see two people wearing neon yellow jackets like the other attendants.
"Go there!" I said, as my left leg involuntarily started to jump up and down in an attempt to distract me from the pressure feeling in my bladder. "That must be where we are headed."

So we drive over and end up on the Illinois Institue of Technology's campus about four blocks away...with no other directions.
"What parking lot should we park in?" Ryan asks.
"Again...I don't know." I reply, pressure mounting.
Right then Ryan slams on the brakes and spies a parking space on the street. Let me rephrase that. A FREE parking space on the street.
"Oh my God. We have to get that space." he says.
He drives down the street a little ways to find a place to turn around, the whole time chanting for no one else to steal that spot. As luck would have it, no one did. We whip into the spot and Ryan gets out of the car in triumph, grinning from ear to ear with hands held high.
"Free parking honey! That saves us about $20!!!" he exclaims.

"Good job." I said spying the haven I've been waiting for, the student center...there's gotta be a bathroom in there! So I jog to the building with Ryan calling after me. I run in and start looking for the closest bathroom...ANY bathroom. Look out fellas, cuz if it is one for you, you are about to get a little unexpected company.

I find a women's restroom first (thank the Lord) and proceed with what I like to call "the never ending pee." I feel like it goes and goes and will never stop...but it does. I walk out feeling about ten pounds lighter and find Ryan walking out of the men's next door.
"Sorry. It was an emergency." I said. "Let's go!"

We get about a block away from the car and Ryan is still talking about the damned parking spot.

"You don't realize how lucky we are! A FREE spot! This is awesome!" he exclaims.
"Yeah." I say, not quite as impressed as he. "You have the tickets right?"
Ryan stops in mid stride and grabs my hand. He shuts his eyes and turns around to go back to the car.
I start laughing and thanking my lucky stars we didn't get all the way to the stadium before we realized it.

So, after we got the tickets and rechecked to make sure we had absolutely everything in the world we would possibly need at a baseball game, we began again to walk toward the stadium. We get there in record time and join the mass of people walking into the gate.

Last year, we sat up in the nosebleeds, but this year we had first level seats along the third baseline. We had a great view of the bullpen and the field. I could actually make out the players' faces! Plus, we got to roam free around the first level and wander out to the fan deck in the outfield. They have these really cool bronze statues of players that have retired numbers and so many people were hanging out and just enjoying the day! It was a celebration all over!
We sat in our seats after making pit stops for the essentials:
Hot dog with mustard for me? Check.
Italian sausage with onions and mustard for him? Check.
Two beers? Check.
Nachos with jalapenos? Check.

The game was great. I saw some more "firsts" for me! I saw my first major league grand slam that pulled the Sox up 7-3. Crede hit it right down the 3rd baseline so it went right by us! I saw my first 100mph pitcher! Bobby Jenks was put in for the Sox in the 8th inning. We watched him warm up in the bullpen and everyone in that corner was flipping out! Ryan started drooling a bit, I think. He has a little man crush on Jenks. (Don't tell him I told you that) When Jenks came out of the bullpen...it was as loud as an Auburn-Alabama football game!!!! It was awesome!!!

Something ironic? Ozzie Guillen was tossed...again. He's was pretty heated with the umpire. Both games I've been to he's been tossed! The ump was awful though. If you've seen SportsCenter you have probably heard him talking about the guy. It was funny. Everyone was chearing, "OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!" It was like a rock concert. Again...awesome.

Afterwards, Ryan had to go to the old Comiskey park home plate marker that is in the now parking lot for the stadium. He stood there and looked at it. I could see it in his face...he really wanted to touch it with his hands.
"Go ahead babe...touch it!" I said. A lot of people were walking by and touching it.
He walks to it, hesitates, and then reaches down and touches it with his fingertips. It was quite a moment for him. So, me being the supportive and loving girlfriend...I start chuckling...then giggling...and then I snorted.
"Shut up." he said, cutting his eyes to me.
"Sorry." I said. "But that was really cute. I saw eight year old Ryan just then."

It was a fun day. :P

In Training: Week 5

Totally freaking out today. I didn't run. I had too much to do and too wiped out when I got home. Time is quickly passing me by and I don't know if I'll be ready for May 3rd. This week I've been running longer distances (around 4 miles) but I really feel like I am way, WAY behind. Last year at this time I don't think I was running quite that far...maybe consistently around 3 miles. I gotta be more consistent. I gotta have warmer weather so I can go outside!!!! I gotta get new insoles!!....I gotta get new shoes!!!....I gotta go to the bathroom!!!!!

Day of Reckoning

Well, Ryan is officially done with his basketball season. The Butler Bulldogs played one heck of a game against the dreaded Tennessee Vols (I hate Tennessee!!), but in the end a couple of missed opportunities sealed their fate. So Ryan is a little pouty today. They played in Birmingham and I wanted to go with them so badly! It would be a chance to see my family. Moreover, my brother was in town from North Carolina so I would have been able to see him too. However, gas prices being what they are...it was a no go for driving (by myself) or flying.


My dad called as soon as he heard they were coming and wanted to take Ryan out for dinner or something if he had time. I thought that was harmless enough so I gave him Ryan's number (mistake #1). I didn't think much of it and then Ryan called me Saturday to say that Dad had invited him to a mexican restaurant. He sounded kinda nervous because he really had only met and talked with my dad for about an hour one morning on their way to Milwaukee to visit my aunt Jo. I told Ryan, "Don't worry about it. It's just some southern hospitality. It'll be low key. No big deal." (famous last words)


So, after I talked with Ryan, I called my dad. "So I hear you are going out with Ryan?"

"Oh yeah!" my dad said. "We're going to a mexican restaurant."

"Sweet." I said. "That's really nice of you."

"Well, we wanted to see him." Dad stated.

"Oh." I said. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"Me, Carolyn, Tom, and Sweetie! Oh! And your brother...and Turo!"

"Oh great." I said laughing. "So pretty much the whole crew! He's gonna freak! I'm surprised Magoo isn't going to show up!!"

"Hey!! That's a good idea!!!" Dad exclaimed.

Way to go Case.

So sure enough Ryan showed up for dinner and "frosty libations" only to be told to sit at the head of a table with fifteen other people sitting around it. He calls me about one hour into it all ready buzzed from margaritas. Of course when people find out I'm on the phone, it became time to pass the phone. So I talked to everyone at the table. Even a lady I don't think I've ever met!!!

So, I guess you could say Ryan was broken in perfectly.

Learning Something New

A question you may ask yourself: "Can your eyebrows actually become frozen to your head?"

As I found out today standing outside at soccer..."Yes. Yes they can."

In Training: Week 4

Well, I am really hoping that once basketball season is done I will become a little more focused. I didnt train that much in mileage until after basketball last year. Today I got an email about the mini and it said, "60 days until the largest mini marathon in the country!"

WHAT!?!?!?! Is that right?! 60 days? That can't be right! Holy crap! It is right!!!!

I will not panic. I will not panic.

Rocky 7: Rocky takes on the Rhoomba

For Christmas, my mom gave me something called The Rhoomba. It's a little automated vacuum cleaner. All you have to do is push a button on the top and it starts zooming around the room. You can have it isolate itself to one room or go all over the place. It's pretty cool actually and doesn't do a bad job! It's kind of fun to watch!

The first day I busted it out of the box, the 45 page book of instructions (that I didn't read past page 6) said to charge it for 6 hours before the first use. So I unpacked "the docking station" and plugged it in, then took the actual Rhoomba out of the box and placed it on the sensor of "the docking station." The button to start it is on the top and it lights up when activated and will glow when charging.

Rocky was going about his daily activities: eating, running around the house, chewing on his toys, peeing (preferrably outside). I was watching him when he spotted the Rhoomba and it's glowing button. He tenatively stepped up to it and started sniffing. He started getting braver and stepping closer and closer until his nose was touching the side of the Rhoomba. He noticed the glowing button and immediately put his nose on the spot of light and the Rhoomba came to life. Rocky jumped about 4 feet into the air and ran from the suddenly alive robot vacuum cleaner-thing. To regain his place as "the fastest and most sporadic being to run around the house" Rocky immediately started telling the Rhoomba who's boss!! The Rhoomba would retalliate and zoom at Rocky and he would run the opposite direction but come back for more when he was sure it was safe. It was a harrowing time at the house!!!! The battle continues to this day. I see a "Rocky 8" in the future.

IN THIS CORNER: Rocky

AND IN THIS CORNER: The Rhoomba Robot

The initial "What the...?!"

"Grrrrrrrrrr!"

"You can't get away from me!!!"

Barking at me about the Rhoomba.

Barking at the Rhoomba, about the Rhoomba.

What will happen next?!

In Training: Weeks 2 & 3

Week 2: A wash.
After a great start to my training, my job has to come along and mess it all up! I prefer to run in the mornings instead of the evening because by then, all I want to do is go home. I like to get it out of the way and feel energized for the rest of the day!! Well, I had meetings, treatments for athletes with schedule conflicts, interviews with candidates for graduate assistant positions, and on day of "I just don't wanna!"

Week 3: Back in the saddle!
While this week started off looking like last week, I ended on a high note! I usually run M,T,W,F, and sometimes Saturday. Well, Monday I had a meeting and Tuesday I had to go to the doctor with an athlete. But I did make up for it by biking and lifting Wednesday, running Thursday and Friday, and running then biking on Saturday! Woo hoo!!

Moment of embarrassment: tripping over my shoelace (I didnt realize it was untied) while running on the concourse of the arena when two athletes and a student I have worked with in the past just happened to be walking the opposite direction to get to a class.

Eclipse (not the gum)

For those of you that didn't notice, last night we had a lunar eclipse. I frequently went to my window and looked out at it and marveled at the stages. It was a great reminder at how small we are in respect to the universe and the beauty behind it.

I was listening to the radio yesterday morning when they were talking about this event and one of the interns at the station was asked if he was going to watch it. He said no because he didn't have the special glasses to see it so he wouldn't burn out his eyes. Everyone (including me) laughed at him because that would be for a solar eclipse.

Educator of the Year goes to...?

"Casey, can I talk to you? I think I have a problem."
"Sure."
"Well, I think I need to see a doctor."
"Okay. Why do you think you need to see a doctor?"
"Well, I think something is wrong with my digestive tract."
"Okay. What's going on?"
"I ate dinner last night and I had corn. But this morning I went to the bathroom and the corn came out whole!"
(Hesitation due to determining if this is serious or a joke. Survey says? Serious.)
"Well, actually the human body lacks the enzyme necessary to digest corn. So...it always comes out whole. You're fine. No one can digest it...except barnyard animals."
"Oooohhh...really?!"

I love it.

What a life!

In Training: Week 1

Last week was my first official training week. For those of you that do not know, I am going to run in the OneAmericaMiniMarathon in Indy this May. It is the largest mini-marathon in the country and it signifies the beginning of celebrating Indy car race season, ending with the Indy 500 in late May.
I ran it for the first time last year and it was quite an experience!! I actually had a lot of fun running in it. That was the furthest I have ever run in my entire life and I actually did very well!! Anyone that I was in touch with last year would tell you that during the training, I was a mess. I didn't think I could do it b/c I was so burned out. My training slacked off to where I could barely go 3 miles without mentally shutting down. I was putting way too much pressure on myself. Raceday, everything clicked and I just focused on everything around me and all the people in the race. It was great!
This year I'm at it again. I am determined to have a better outlook in my training and am comforted in the fact that I have done it before and I can do it again. I've been running a lot the past few months so I feel I am a little further along than I was last year. My longest runs right now are only 4 miles but that is mainly cuz it's too friggin' cold to run outside and I can only run on a treadmill or in a circle for so long. 4 miles is about my cracking up point. So far...so good.

Mommy? Can I sleep in your bed tonight?

I had a nightmare last night. Well, first I had a fantastic dream...then I had a nightmare. My fantastic dream was me on stage at American Idol singing "Proud Mary" all Tina Turner-like. I was awesome. I brought the house down. I woke up from that one at 1:48a.m. and was very proud of myself. Major ego boost shrowded in horrible inaccuracies? Check! I know this because I can't sing for crap.

I went back to sleep and had a dream that Ryan had died. At least I think he died. I just remember being very sad and sitting in a room full of people in dark clothing. I remember wanting to see him or wanting him to be there with me but that it was impossible. It was kinda scary. I woke up from that one (thankfully) at 5:40am to my phone ringing and a major thunderstorm. I looked at the bed next to me and Ryan wasn't there. He was supposed to be coming back from an away game and should have been home around 3:00a.m., but his side of the bed was empty. My heart started racing and I could feel me holding my breath. I grabbed my phone and saw that he was calling me. Apparently their bus broke down and he was just now in his car heading back to the house. I told him to be extra careful- when I was sure I was actually awake. He made it home with no problem, and was just in time for me to have to get up and get ready for work. Maybe we will be able to hang out together again someday...

We'll say in April.

Post bath time

Clean and naked.

Clean and not naked.....see the difference?

Date Night for the Old Farts

Last night was date night. We don't have too many of these nights but we decided to have one last night. Probably had something to do with recently getting paid.....nah! So anyway, Ryan had a great idea to go to this place in downtown Indy called Jillian's. It's like a Dave and Buster's only...well, I dont really know the difference cuz I've never been to one of those either. We get there at about 8:00pm and first thing's first. Eating. There is a restaurant right when you walk in and then a three storey staircase leading to an arcade, a bowling alley, and a pool hall.

The food was great. We didn't get anything fancy and the plus was we got discounted game cards for a $10 value for only about $5. Hey, this girl loves a bargain!!! So after dinner we went upstairs to kill off some brain cells with overly-violent and soft-core sexually explicit video games. What ever happened to the Mario Brothers?! Ryan of course scouted out the Star Wars game and got to the level where he dueled Darth Vader. It was about as intense as it sounds...not really. Needless to say, Ryan was sweating afterwards and kinda pissed off that Vader's Jedi powers somehow outperformed his own. I mean he can make the doors open by themselves everytime we go into a CVS or a grocery store!!!! That's power!

Next stop was shoot 'em up game where you were the police and you had to shoot all the bad guys in the head. What was different was that you stood on a platform and it could sense you when your character needed to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge other bullets. It was pretty cool and kinda addicting. You get to pick out your character and of course Ryan says, "You gotta be the chick."
Whatever. All right. So I pick the headshot of the "chick." The game begins and I see this the blonde chick with huge boobs running down the street with SWAT team clothed police officers. She on the other had is wearing a see-through midrift shirt with visible bra. And what see-through shirt isn't complete without the daisy-dukes and combat boots?! I mean come on! That is the standard police uniform!!! On the bright side though the game was actually pretty fun and we got some great pics of us looking like idiots trying to dodge make-believe bullets and crouching down to hide behind a car on the screen. Who needs an ego anyway?! The rest of the games were okay. I did play skeeball (one of my personal favorites) but for some reason I remember it being a lot bigger and harder as a kid.

We left after getting our fill of the games that we liked and headed home. Ryan was snoring by midnight and I was watching Sex and the City in my sweats. Good date night.

Me and Ryan...again.

Well, we did it again. Another good picture and it only took us four months from the only other good picture in existence. We are on a roll!! This is right before our champagne toast to the new year at a friend's house.

Addiction

I need an intervention...over Christmas my mother gave me the first 3 seasons of the show Lost. I'm halfway through the 2nd season....

Hi. My name is Casey and I'm addicted to Lost.

Sinking

Have you ever felt like your are sinking in water and no matter how hard you try you can't get up to the surface? No matter how hard I kick and reach...I can't get there. I can't get beyond it. I don't even know what "it" is.

I am drowning. The moments will pass and I will feel this way all day and maybe again tomorrow. But it will pass. I just wait.

Good to know

Last night Ryan and I had some alone time together for the first time in about a week and a half. It's been insanely busy for the both of us. So we got in our sweats (cuz it's a balmy 8 degrees at night) and lay on the couch- position #1, prime position for mutual foot rubbing. We start watching Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles on t.v. (you know, cuz we're classy) and we hear:

Crunch, crunch, crunch.....crunch, crunch

"What is that? It sounds like plastic breaking?" I ask Ryan as I realize it's coming from behind the couch. "Rocky," I think. So I lean over the back of the couch and see him hard at work. His profession of choice? Destruction. He is chewing up something so I reach down and grab it from him. In my hand is a slimey, half-chewed prescription bottle.
"Uh-oh." I say. I look on the ground and there are about 20 little white pills at Rocky's feet. "NO!!!" I yell.
"WHAT?!" Ryan replies.

I tell him what I found and he answers with a few choice words along with, "What do we do?"
"Can you call poison control for a dog?" I ask. "Call a 24 hour vet!"
Ryan bolts upstairs while I clean up the mess and gets a number. He calls and gets a vet tech and explains the situation. They ask us a bunch of questions about Ryan's medication and Rocky's weight, etc. The doctor gets on the phone and tells us that we can do a couple of things:
1. Bring him in and get his stomach pumped or give him activated charcoal.
2. Pour half-a-cup of hydrogen peroxide down his throat and wait for him to barf.
3. Watch and wait, cuz the amount and type of meds probably won't kill him (yep, he said probably)


We opt for plan 2 cuz we have hydrogen peroxide in our cabinet in the bathroom. Ryan grabs the dog and we pull him into the bathtub. He holds Rocky and forces his mouth open while I dump what I guess to be half of a cup down his throat. We let him go and he sits there and stares at the two of us like, "What?" We stare back at him for about 30 seconds waiting for the eruption. Nothing. Rocky starts sniffing around the tub and licking up the peroxide that spilled all around him. Great.
"How old is the peroxide?" Ryan asks.
"There's no date." I say examining the bottle.
"Hmmm. I guess we wait and see if he dies." Ryan says.
"HONEY!" I say.


We walk downstairs to resume our couch lying and movie hoping that the dog "probably won't be killed." After about five minutes Rocky runs to a corner infront of the kitchen (yep still on the carpet) and starts making a weird hacking noise.

"OH CRAP!" I say and try to jump up from the couch. However, I am caught under one of Ryan's legs and immediately get my other leg tangled in the blanket I am using. Ryan in the mean time is caught under the leg I am trying desperately to get untangled by kicking it. If Ryan moved an inch he probably would have been whacked in the face. Somehow I break free and lunge for the dog just in time to hear: SPLAT.
"Ewww." I say standing up straight, looking at a mountain of foam and chewed up dog food. "It's all foamy."
"Gross." Ryan says sitting up from the couch. "What is-"
HACK, HACK HACK HACK, HACK, HACK, HACK

"Get the dog!" we yell in unison. Ryan gets to him first, behind the couch and we drag him outside. He threw up about 4 more times.

Moral of the story: Hydrogen peroxide can make a dog throw up. Good to know.

Actual Quote

A 20 y/o athlete of mine came into the training room and got three bags of ice for various body parts. She is standing there chatting with a teammate when another teammate walks by and sees her all wrapped up.

"Dang!" the other teammate exclaims. "How many ice bags do you have?!"
"I know, right?! It's like I'm 30!!" says my formerly favorite athlete.

Go ahead and just give me a walker all ready.

Pop Quiz Hot Shot

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Princess Bride. Growing up I could recite it forwards and backwards with my friend, Leslie. Then, my brother and father became fans and we all recited and acted it out whenever the mood struck us. Preferably in public.

I got an email from Leslie the other day with a link to a quiz to test my knowledge of the movie. I haven't watched it in probably about a year, so I was nervous. I shouldn't of been.

Wanna try it? ClickHere

Men

I recently received an email that was a video about a man with a cold. He was bundled up on the couch groaning like he had a terminal disease. These EMT-type guys come running in and assess the situation infront of the man's wife who is dressed and ready for the day. They scold her for not caring to his every need while he is in this pitiful state and give her a bell and say, "Give this to him. Everytime he rings this you must run to him and get whatever it is that he needs! It's important." The wife looks at the EMT-type man and says, "Well, what about me? I have the same cold." The EMT looks at her incredulously and says, "But you're a woman."

I had a similar incident yesterday. Ryan has a hacking cough and slight cold, and I really feel bad for him because he seems so uncomfortable and pitiful. So I went and got him some Dayquil and Nyquil to help him get comfy. No lie, he was lying in the bed and begging me to rub his temples for his headache. As I'm doing this he looks at me with big child-like eyes and says, "Why am I dying?"

I almost choked trying to stifle my laugh. Men...you gotta love them.

Oh, the New Year!!!

Happy New Year! Don't you just love the idea of having a fresh start at the year?

New Year's Eve?...Yeah...We won't talk about that. I had fun, that is all I'm gonna say.

Happy 2008!