In Love

They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Not me, I knew what I was missing the whole time it was gone and it made me sad and grumpy and depressed. Finally, after almost a year of bullshit knee stuff, I finally feel like I’m a-okay.

The other day I was so not into going to the gym. I just felt blah. I was fighting a cold, feeling burned out on the gym and wished that I could just crawl into bed and watch Netflix. But I decided to go for a run. I ran outside for the first time at my family reunion and it went really really well, so I thought I would try it again.

I walked to the track near the house and then started slowly running. My first thought was Oh my god, this soft track feels so NICE! What a difference from the treadmill at  the gym. I LOVE running outside. That’s where I want to run, not on some hamster wheel staring at a wall. I love the feel of fresh air, I love the sounds of the kids playing at the school, I love the feel of the track (much nicer than the treadmill or pavement) and had a GREAT RUN.

I was slow, yes. Couldn’t care less! I was running! I ran 1 mile around the track without walking and then walking half way around the track to rest, then did a walk/jog the rest of the way. I took it easy and didn’t push myself.

It was nice running outside and it was nice being back at the spot where Michael proposed. It made me smile as I ran past the spot each time. I love that he decided to do it where we had our first kiss. Now we have somewhere that will always be there when we want to visit the site in the future. Anyways, back to the run.

I happily walked back to the house, satisfied with my run. I listened to my body the rest of the night and it seemed okay. The next day I was just fine! No aches and pains, no twinges, didn’t feel tight. YAY!!!

Dinner was gluten free spaghetti — Trader Joe’s brown rice noodles– with basil olive oil. I shredded fresh Parmesan cheese on top, minced fresh rosemary and basil from the garden and tomatoes, too. We finally have some ripe tomatoes. Dinner was delicious. The TJ gluten free spaghetti is great; I might even prefer it to regular spaghetti.

Besides running again, Trader Joe’s gluten free stuff, I’m also in love with Michael. Duh. Obviously! However, it definitely feels different being engaged as opposed to just dating. I feel a sense of calm and security. So far the planning is going pretty well, although we can’t really make any decisions until we get back from our vacation. Life is just too packed until September!

Despite that, I’m still forming a plan. I really like the idea of doing SIMPLE. Less fancy, more rustic, just simple. Like instead of a big, fancy (ie expensive) set of decorations, I just want something straightforward and uncomplicated.

I have talked to a few caters. I think when we get back from our trip, we’ll test the food and make a decision. I also have plans with some of my bridesmaids to go dress shopping for their dresses in September. I’m hoping I can score big with Fall dresses and back-to-school sales!

Back to running. I really, really, really hope I can run on my vacation in LA! I just want to be able to run a few miles outside, maybe near the ocean, and savor that. I loved running along the beach in Kona when we went to Hawaii last year. One of my favorite memories! That’s about it for now.

What are you in love with lately?