So much has been going on lately.
I’ve been on the move a bunch with work, running and a new hobby: sewing.
For work I was preparing for coverage of the Democratic National Convention. I’m a producer, so I had a lot of reading up to do, a lot of phone calls, a lot of meetings. This pretty much consumed my thoughts and time for the last several months. I was in Philadelphia for a little over a week, and working as a journalist during a convention equates to no sleep. I’m getting better about functioning for days at a time with minimal sleep. (We got about 2-3 hrs per day. I maxed out at 5 one day, which felt luxurious.) Needless to say there wasn’t much running either.
On the running front, training has been up and down. My goal race is the Richmond Half Marathon in November. I am aiming for a sub 1:45, we will see how that goes. It would be a big improvement for me. My PR is 1:49:29 – and that’s several years old. Right now I am just working on getting my mileage up into the high 30s low 40s. It’s been a bit of a struggle the last several weeks, but I’m trying not to let that get me down.
Oh and I’m still planning our wedding! I am in the “a million little things to do” phase. I’ve been uying gifts for our wedding party, renting chairs for the reception, filling out questionnaires for our photographers, finding just the right “unplugged ceremony” sign, sorting RSVPs, trying on the prototype for my custom wedding band … it’s an adventure to plan a wedding. I haven’t felt super stressed about it, yet. I expect that will come, but I think work has kept me busy enough that I don’t seem to have the time to stress. Plus, there are some things I just didn’t want to stress about. For example – I didn’t want to have to stress about a seating chart, so we tossed the idea of a seating chart. One of the great things about weddings is that you can do them your way. Everyone won’t be happy, but I figure that’s a great exercise in preparing you for the rest of your life as a family. I hear letting things roll off your shoulders is an excellent life skill.
I have surprised myself with how excited I am to have my first fitting for my wedding gown in a couple of weeks. If there ever was a dress that is so totally me, this is it and I am beyond excited to wear it.
Speaking of dresses, and clothes … and amazing new make space opened near my home. Stitch Sew Shop is in Old Town Alexandria, and it has everything a maker could dream of. There are gorgeously patterned fabrics, notions, fashion forward patterns – and they’ve got a set of sewing machines you can rent to work on your own creations. Plus, they offer classes. I started with a sewing primer (it had been years since I turned on a machine). Since then, I’ve taken 2 more classes. The first was for the Wiksten tank which I made out of a woven cotton ikat. I loved the drape I with the fabric.
Since I made this tank, I made a Wiksten dress as well out of a very lightweight hand printed cotton from India. I took that dress with me to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention and I was glad I did! The lightweight fabric, plus loose shape of the dress was the perfect antidote to the hot, humid heat we experienced up there.
Just yesterday I took my second class (it gave me something to look forward to while I was working long days!) and we made this super cute clutch.
I was so excited that I took this out last night on my mini-date night with Josh.
Needless to say, I’ve fallen in love with Stitch – it’s such a beautiful space, and the people who work there are the FRIENDLIEST. They are so invested in you having a positive experience. If you ever find yourself in DC, I highly recommend checking out their classes, or just visiting the space and getting inspired by the shop!
Fit For The Finish Line 