It's Here. It's Here. It's Here!!!

Today we celebrate the Winter Solstice, a.k.a., my 32nd birthday!  And by 'we', I mean me. You don't have to celebrate if you don't want to. Today, I feel like a real grown-up.  I feel like my 30s have been so good to me, and they're getting better and better.  I woke up energized and ready to reflect on what 31 meant, and what 32 will bring.  And in those reflections I'm reminded that it's a somewhat bittersweet day. The bitter is that I have shared this day, for the last 31 years, with my beloved Mema.  This will mark a new time in life where I will carry on our birthday solo, but I know she's celebrating with me in spirit.

As for the sweet part, I kick started the day with a call from my Mama, Miss Susie, at 6:06am.  That's the time I was born, and to date, we haven't missed a phone call or bedside wake-up at that time in 32 years... and counting.  Love you, mama!

This past weekend we had a lovely little soiree to kick off the bday celebrations.  There's nothing like a beach themed, backyard BBQ, pajama-jam, game night to start things off.  Sadly, my camera died early on in the festivities so I can only offer a few photos from the beginning of the evening.  We played games, we danced, we ate delish food and desserts, and we celebrated.  So. Fun.

Cheers!

Warming up by the 'fire'... so flickery and bright! 

Ryan and Sarah... our party planning support

Hooray for red lipstick and leis!

Minute to win it balloon games

Treats!!

TREE!

silliness

I couldn't have asked for a better evening with such wonderful friends. I'm truly blessed. 

Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

Love,
Whitney

*Birthday Countdown: 365 days

Why I heart CrossFit

I've been in a bit of a topic slump the last few days.  There are so many things going on that it's hard to find time to focus on just one and write about it.  But, seeing some amazing pictures and experiencing a great day at the gym with my team and friends this past weekend lit a spark. I LOVE CrossFit.  I know a lot of people will say they love running or they love to swim or they love riding their bike, and those things are very nice, but I seriously love CrossFit and I'm so thankful to have found it a year and a half ago. 

Here is a link to my crossfit gym, CrossFit New Haven.  This place is awesome and has become a second home of sorts.  For those of you who don't know much about CrossFit, I'd highly recommend that you do a little research for gyms in your area and check it out.  This type of workout is not only some of the best physical activity I've ever done, but it's totally motivating. 

A few key points to know about CrossFit are:

• It's a group style workout- you are never working out alone without support; you work out in a class style format with people of all walks of life with the same goal of being healthy and fit. 
• There is always at least 1 coach who is monitoring your movements and giving you one-on-one advice and support throughout the workout.  It's like working out with a personal trainer amongst all of your friends.
• The workouts are constantly varied so you never get bored and you don't have to keep track of which day/body part you are focusing on today.  The workouts (called WODs) are set up to build and strengthen specific movements and modalities.  There are days where we focus on one thing at a time, or days where we do a 20 minute workout that includes 3 modalities together.
• There is weightlifting involved, but not in a greasy, vein popping out, body builder kind of way.  Each person is free to work with a weight that suits them and allows them to perform the movement safely and properly.  It's tailored to each person specifically so there is not competition for who is lifting the heaviest or most.
• Each gym is a unique family- it allows you to get to know people in their times of struggle and need, as well as in their times of triumph and glory.  We create a family dynamic where all are welcome and we support each other through goals and challenges.  Hence, my paleo challenge team that I'm sacrificing my beloved carbs for.  Team Kick JurASSics, I love you guys.

 My favorite part of CrossFit is getting to workout with my friends! They push me, I push them, we set goals together and discuss parts of the workout that might be challenging or feel good.  We are accountable to each other.

Not only do I feel stronger, healthier, and ready for anything, but I also have a great time every time I'm at the gym.  Sure, I curse the workout the next morning when my quads are screaming at me while I descend the stairs at home, but it's all worth it.  I get as much peace of mind from this place and the people in it as I would sitting on a quiet beach reading a book.  There's something soothing about heavy metal or hard core rap music blaring so loud you can't hear yourself breathe... sweat dripping all over the place leaving a trail of the work you've already done, and blisters on your hands after the 100th pull-up.  You won't know the feeling I'm talking about until you try it. 

 Don't be afraid.  Check out a CrossFit gym near you by visiting this website.  Also, the 2011 CrossFit games have been playing on ESPN2, which is a great way to see what hard work, dedication, and eating right can do.  Those people are incredible!

Mike and I met at a competition a year and a half ago... nothing but love for it.

Yours in xfit love,
Whitney

We fundraised, we swam, we conquered!

We did it!  We did it!  We set out to swim across the sound and that's exactly what we did.  Despite some rough weather and a few touch and go moments, we swam our hearts out, we left it all in the water, and stood proud at the end holding our 'Seagurls' sign on the finish dock.

We boarded the ferry from Bridgeport, CT to Port Jefferson, NY at 6am.  When we arrived in Bridgeport, the sun had not even graced us yet.  It was early. The kind of early that seems more like the day before hadn't ended yet.

We were nervous, but we were ready.  And having Lindsay's Mom, Sister, and Aunt, along with Alison's step-mom on the ferry with us helped to ease the nerves and reminded us why we were swimming.  It was good.  I was emotional.

We rode for about 35 minutes to Port Jefferson.  It's amazing to think that big vessel was rapidly making it's way across the very route that would take us 8+ hours to swim back on.  In hindsight, I think maybe going the night before would be better. That way you aren't faced with your fears so close to the time you take the plunge.  (As an aside- my stomach is in knots as I write this, recalling my nerves and fear).  We met Mike, our wonderful boat captain and Amy's husband, at Port Jeff and made our way to 'Take Time' a.k.a. Boat #33.  She was a good boat and she served us well.

Soon after, we were boarded, we hung our hand made signs cheering ourselves on, found our sea legs (whether we were ready or not) and we were off.  Lindsay was first in our rotation followed by Tracie, Alison, me, Amy, and Kirsten.  We were a strong team, and we were ready for this challenge.  We took turns swimming 15 minutes each.  As it turns out, the open water is quite a challenge and it's a bit unnerving to be out there much longer than that.  Crazy thoughts and imaginations run through your mind.  You feel all sorts of unknown things brush up or slither by your body.  You see things that you swear are jellyfish or shark fins, but are actually bubbles your hand makes when stroking, or buoys in the distance.  It's incredible the things your brain can convince you of when your are out of your comfort zone and just a little scared.  Luckily, we took turns cheering each other on from the boat and identifying the foreign objects for each other as the vantage from the boat made recognizing seaweed vs. man-eating-fish much easier. 



Lindsay on the first leg



Lindsay and Tracie at the exchange

Getting ready for my first time in

George- our wonderful navigator and boat owner

I decided to back stroke to get acclimated and calm down

Pat and Mike- our heros, drivers, pep talkers, and support.



Freezing after the first rotation. Brrrr...

 We swam and swam. 15 minutes at a time, we slowly but surely clicked the miles away as we headed toward CT.  We made every time check-point, and we never skipped rotation.  We drank gatorade and coconut water, we ate snacks, we applied and reapplied sun screen, and we played some great music to keep us motivated.
It wasn't an easy challenge and as the day wore on, the weather began to change.  Gone were the calm waters and warmth of the sun and high winds and tall waves entered.  The last two rotations were hard.  I nearly cried.  The waters were fierce and angry and the wind was pushing the boat faster than we could swim beside it.  It's much more challenging to swim in a straight line when the 3-5 foot waves are carrying you up and down with them as if you were on a rollercoaster.  We also drank copious amounts of salt water. Mmmm...

In the end, we were no match for mother nature and as a team, we decided to pull our swimmer in, at the end of the 6th rotation, with 2+ miles to go.  We had come so far, but the waters were scary and it was becoming more difficult to make progress.  Just minutes after we made the call, the race officials got word from the Coast Guard that the weather was too dangerous to continue, and they called off the race.  It was bittersweet.  We wanted to finish, but we wanted to do it as a team and mother nature had other plans.  I am thankful we were safe, and that no one was hurt.

As we motored in to the harbor, we passed other boats also collecting their swimmers and falling in line behind us for the finish line.  We approached the roar of the crowd at Captain's Cove and decided at the last minute to jump off the boat and swim to the finish as we had hoped.  We rushed to the back of the boat, jumped into the dirty water, and sprinted to the finish dock.  The harbor water was a mixture of motor oil, gasoline, and saline- which made it hard to breathe, see, and swim. But alas, we did it.  We stood proud atop that dock and hugged each other. 

We did it.  It may not have been exactly as we planned or envisioned, but we did it.  We were a team, we made decisions as a team, and we finished as a team.  Go Seagurls!!!  Our cheering section of loved ones were screaming our names as we swam in. They made posters and ran down to greet us.  It was so moving. 
And afterward... we ate. Boy did we eat.  And drank, we drank fruity, foofy drinks and treated ourselves.  We were slimy, and salty, and grimy, but we were done. Challenge met.

Yes- I ate this! And it was good.

I'll settle for pretty flowers if I can't get a smile for the camera

our friend Jesse finished in a 2-person team in 7:55hrs.  Awesome.

And so in summary, it was an awesome day.  I learned alot about open water swimming, about training, about myself, and about teamwork.  I will be back next year to face the challenge again with Lindsay and the Seagurls.  And... incase you didn't hear- we raised $12,000 for St. Vincent's Hospital!!!  Our little team brought our A-game and I couldn't be more proud.  We rocked this swim.

Whit and Lindsay

Yours in great pride and humility,

Whitney

Sponsored by the letter 'F'

Recently, Mike and I had a small group of wonderful people over to our sweet little condo on the beach to enjoy some food, friendship, and F-U-N!  It was Memorial Day, and although not a day of 'celebration' per se, we enjoyed having some people we hold dear over for a little playtime in the sunshine.

I've found that at 31 years and counting, I have so much more appreciation for the aforementioned 'F' words and realize how valuable they are.  As a youngster and adolescent- even as a college student- I think I (really, we all) took forgranted the fact that friendships won't always be as close or strong or easy to keep.  Fun gets better and takes on new meaning as a hard-working adult.  And, I have to say, my food horizons have been greatly expanded since the days of Boston Market side items and left over Panera sandwiches. 

I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends I've made here in the Nutmeg State and on my journey to end up here.  I'm reminded of so many great Memorial Days past and the wonderful friends old and new that I've spent them with.  In reflection, I realize how much this mean as an adult.  How much work they take, and how steadfast they can be despite time and distance.  Instead of a class of 400 of my 'closest friends', I'm now able to maintain friendships that are meaningful, built on mutual interests and activities, and able to withstand differences, debates, and periods of quiet and time apart.  Ahhhh...

Gathered 'round the table

Ryan and Sarah- yeah!

Thumbs up for Adam and Liz

Back to the food.  Mike put together our new, grown-up GRILL the day before the big day-o-fun so we were able to grill it up with some of our favorite cook-out foods.  I made some delicious burgers (if I do say so myself) and BBQ chicken, and we grilled up the other favs including brats, dogs, corn on the cob, and so much more.  Nothing kicks off the start of summer like a good grill shesh.  I love a good cookout where people brign a dish or two because it's a great way to try new and interesting food, experience other people's traditional cookout food, and most importantly... chow down! 

Some of the yummy food

The day was spent playing in the sand here at Walnut Beach in Milford.  We had a little frisbee action, some ladder ball,  splash time in the ocean, a lovely walk on the boardwalk, and several rounds of Flugel and Beer Pong to round out the evening.  It's funny how the simple, inexpensive, outdoor things are the go-to fun these days. I'm happy to exchange elaborate plans, expensive trips or tickets, and stress of must-have fun for the simplicity of a beach towel, a frisbee and a deck of cards.  These are the things our parents always told us about, right? It's not the places or the stuff... it's the people and the experiences.

I'm looking forward to a summer filled with more Food, Friends, and lots of F-U-N!  Cheers to the incredible 'F' words in your life!

All the best,
Whitney