Where have I been lately? The end of the school year is always a busy time, but this year it has been especially busy because it's been filled with bridal showers, bachelorette parties, weddings, and so many other special things. 

May 11, 2013 was the most very special day of my life. Dan and I woke up and went for a little run before heading to Michigan City to see The Great Gatsby with 38 of my students. It. Was. Awesome! And, afterward, the kids stayed with me for a discussion about the movie in relation to the novel. I love connecting with kids outside of school! Some of my students asked Dan and I if we wanted to go to Steak and Shake with them (such sweet kids!), but we had dinner reservations in South Bend, so we started our trek home. The sun was shining, and we had such a great talk about the movie. 

We got ready to go to Parisi's, and I was having a hard time getting my shirt to look the way I wanted it to. I had accessorized with the key necklace Dan got me for my birthday, and by 6:30, we were ready to go. As I went to get my purse, Dan said, "Hold on, I want you to hear that song I've been working on! I finally finished it!" So, we went down to the basement, where Dan's guitar and amp were set up. On the coffee table sat a square shaped box underneath a piece of white fabric surrounded by flowers. 

At that moment, I was pretty sure I knew the direction we were heading, but I didn't want to get too excited, just in case the item underneath the cloth was a piece of dessert or something (which, to be honest, I still would have been really excited about!). 

Dan started the music he'd recorded on his phone and his live music and told me he was dedicating this song to me. 

I think I started crying about then. :) My recently engaged friends told me that when their moments came, they pretty much blacked out what was said, what happened, etc., so I was trying really hard to focus on the lines of Dan's beautiful song. But after the first line, "The moment I met you..." I could barely breathe. 

So, I sat there smiling and crying and laughing at the funny lines (there were funny lines!), and looking at this amazing man in front of me singing about our life and our love. I may not remember everything he said in those moments, but I will never forget how I felt in that moment. 

When the last few lines of the song started, Dan removed the white fabric from the table, revealing a wooden box locked with a red heart lock. And that's when he dropped to one knee and sang,

"I love you
Grow old with me
I love you
You mean the world to me
I love you
Will you marry me?" 

Through my tears, I said a resoundingly happy YES, and then Dan started messing with his guitar amp. I said, "Can you come over here?" And he did, and we kissed. :)

Dan said, "You have the key to my heart," to which I responded, "That's sweet." And Dan said, "No, seriously, you have the key to the heart!" 

Ever the engineer, Dan made the lock on the box to match the key necklace he gave me for my birthday. Since I was wearing the necklace, we were able to use it to open the box (and I say we because my hands were shaking and I couldn't quite get it to turn enough), and inside was the most amazingly beautiful ring I've ever seen. 

Perfection. 

It was truly, genuinely perfect. I couldn't ask for more than spending the rest of my life with Dan. He's got my whole heart for our whole lives. 

About thirty minutes post-engagement, at mom and dad's! 

We sat and talked for a little while before heading over to mom and dad's house to share the happy news with them in person. My mom and I were already crying by the front door before my dad could even get up off the couch to hear the news. I think she was just as happy as we were!  

Our beautiful ring (and free champagne!)

After we left mom and dad's, we started calling and texting all of our loved ones. There were a LOT of people to contact, and it ended up taking us the rest of the night. But, it was important to us that we were able to tell our close friends and family before it hit Facebook. We had reservations at Parisi's, and upon getting there, I told our waitress that we had just gotten engaged an hour beforehand. She was so excited for us, and brought us a free bottle of champagne! 

Happy, happy, happy! 

With summer vacation starting, well, today, we've started the process of planning our lives together. Our wedding date is May 10, 2014, just one day shy of a year from when Dan asked me to be his wife. I feel this blog might be taking a different direction entirely -- from running to wedding planning (with running as stress relief), but we shall see! 

Incredibly, incredibly happy! 

What makes a runner?

A few weeks ago, I was teaching sports writing in my journalism class. This is probably my least favorite thing to teach in journalism because one, I feel like I don't know NEARLY enough about sports to effectively teach about writing them, and two, students don't seem to love writing sports (perhaps they're responding to my less than enthusiastic lessons?). Regardless, I try to encourage students to write sports features, because features are something I can wrap my brain around. 

So, off my students went to find sports information. They quickly landed on the totally weird. Wife carrying, cheese racing, and chess boxing were just a few of the favorites. But one of my students asked if she could write her feature about what makes an athlete. She brought up the argument of cheerleaders (ARE cheerleaders athletes?) and marching band (those students are doing strenuous work, darnit!) and whether or not those types of things count as school athletics. 

As she was writing, I did my own searching. What makes an athlete? What makes something a sport? After my very serious research that lasted all of fifteen minutes, I came to the conclusion that there really is no conclusion on the topic. It seems the term athlete and sport can be used in a lot of different ways. 

Tonight, one my Facebook friends posted about how she went on a run, but noted that she's not a runner. My mom, who is currently training for her first 5K, has expressed frustration with not feeling like she's going far enough or fast enough on her training runs. We're running her first race together on June 1 (her 60th birthday!), and she keeps insisting that we run separately. Not happening, lady. You're stuck with me! 

What makes someone a runner? If the person runs. By running, she is a runner, regardless of distance, pace, time, or mileage. To be a runner, you only have to start. I'm so proud of the runners around me who have taken on this awesome sport. Keep it up, runners! 

A love/hate blog

I write to you tonight as a tired teacher who needs a brain break! Truthfully, I don't know why I'm so tired and need a brain break. This is the calm before the storm... at this time next Thursday, I'll have 52 research papers in my possession. Eeeek! And so, in honor of papers I love/hate, I bring you my favorite products (and, also least favorite products) right now.

Loves:

My new Mizuno Wave Alchemy running shoes – There’s something so fun about opening a new pair of shoes for the first time, even if they were bought out of necessity (the last new shoes were 500 miles ago!)! Dan got new runners too – a great pair of Asics that he loves! We can run so fast now! 

Everything I've tried by the Greenhousewives Bath Company -- Go here to check them out! So, I’m taking baby steps to clean up my life bit by bit with cleaner food, cleaner products for the home, and cleaner products for the body. A friend of mine introduced me to this company via Facebook (her friend started it! so cool!), and I thought it might be worth an order. I bought sparingly, not really knowing what I wanted to try. I ordered the Sore Muscle Bath Salts and the Cocoa Body Butter Bar. HOLY AMAZING! First, the products are super fun, easy on the skin, and smell AMAZING. Seriously, it takes everything in me not to lick my legs after I use the cocoa bar. (How’s that for a visual?!)

Chevron print anything -- Seriously, it's getting ridiculous how much I love chevron prints. Clothing? Yes! Artwork? Sold! Furniture? Yes, let's recover it in chevron! This might be my favorite print of all time! 

The Great Gatsby -- Words. Can't. Describe. 

No loves:

Benefit Cosmetics/faulty information – Okay, I realize it could just be me here, but I have to rant a bit! Last weekend, my friends and I had our makeup done for my bestie Teresa’s bachelorette party. Our makeup artist told us all of the awesome BENEFITS to using their makeup line, including all the wonderful vitamins and minerals in the products. Everyone looked beautiful! But about six hours later, I noticed my face would NOT stop itching! Another bridesmaid had mentioned that her face felt itchy earlier that evening. Well, what would you know, when I washed my face that night, my skin was red, patchy, and dry, almost like I had a chemical burn! Days later, it’s finally back to normal. I purchased a few of the products and ALMOST used them today, but was running late, so I left them alone. THEN, the bride-to-be mentioned that she is having a serious eye allergy that she thinks might be related to her new mascara! Upon looking on their website, I found this:

Benefit does not test for or claim that our products are hypo-allergenic (least likely to cause an allergic reaction) or non-comedogenic (does not cause pimples & blackheads). If you have a specific allergy, please contact Customer Care to determine if a product is suitable for your skin.

UGH! Don’t you think you should at least MENTION that to your customers?! I realize I have crazy skin, but it’s frustrating nonetheless! I like to know my information up front, please. No wonder I’ve been doing the same makeup routine since… I started doing makeup! 

Dale’s Raw Protein Powder – I LOVE Dale’s products. So when I was running low on my fabulous Meijer protein powder, I thought I’d give Dale’s a try! It’s plant protein! It’s healthy! It’s got the worst after taste of all time! L Even mixed with yummy ingredients like strawberries, bananas, or chocolate milk, it totally still tastes like grimy plant. Ick. 

Cilantro -- Because it still just plain sucks.