Holy Crap Our Legs Are Sore!

Ten days without running isn't really that long of a time. I know this. Jer knows this. But our legs beg to differ. From the time that we got back from our honeymoon (and the time we started running again) up until yesterday they have been more sore than I can remember them being since the marathon.

We're not big believers in things like the 10%  rule; when we're ready to start training we pretty much just jump in head first. But this time we paid a hefty price. I was walking around unable to bend my knees for a good couple of days because the pain was nearly unbearable in my quads, hamstrings, calves, and shins. I also had to miss a second run one day and aqua jog instead because the first ten steps felt as if someone was jabbing daggers into every inch of my legs.Thankfully though we survived our days on the pain train and still managed to get in two solid workouts and nearly 60 miles of running in six days time.

Jer and I are back, more focused and determined than ever to accomplish our new set goals for the fall. We're getting up at 5:30-5:45 most mornings to put in a solid amount of mileage before Jer and I need to be at work. I'm also starting to get on the dreadmill treadmill in the early afternoon for my second run to avoid the strong Texas heat. This will open my evenings up even more for core, drills, stretching, etc: the little things that have been all too easy to neglect in the past.

Next race up is the Carrabbas's Half Marathon Relay for me. It's tons of fun and this is the first year I won't have to worry about parking since we live two miles away from the start line!

I'm a Mrs Now...

We survived!!! So much time and effort went into planning the biggest party of our lives. It paid off though. The wedding was absolutely amazing. It went by way too fast if you ask me. Yes, there were a couple things that didn't go exactly as planned, but what party does? It was too windy to have the DIY photobooth outside and the bulb in the projector for the slideshow burned out right as soon as it was turned on. All in all not the worst things that could've happened and everyone seemed to have a good time without them. The candy bar and race bibs were a hit, the DJ was awesome and kept everyone dancing for quite some time, and people seemed to enjoy the food and beverages as well. People love an open bar...who knew?

 

Our first dance!



After we smeared cake on eachothers faces



For some reason it took him a long to time find what he was looking for

 

That's right ladies...he's officially off the market!

  

I love the bubbles! Great idea Mom!

  


I'd say he had a good time.



There are way too many people to thank for making our special day extra special, but I'll name a few ; )

First off our wondeful parents. They each contributed so much in their own way and were overly supportive in the decisions Jer and I made. They also helped guide us when we couldn't quite figure out what we wanted! Next, my wondeful Grandpa Coogan. He spent so much time and put a lot of heart into being our wedding officiant. He did an amazing job and it's something I'll cherish forever. Last but not least, my awesome wedding party! Those guys and girls put up with me while I was pulling my hair out and helped out in more ways than I could have asked for. Jer and I are so lucky to have so many wondeful people in our lives.

It still hasn't hit me that I'm Mrs. Daum yet. The extra bling on my finger helps to remind me though. Hopefully it won't slow me down on the roads!

PS: I'll be getting the professional photos in a little over a months time and I can't wait to see them! The ones above are from my dad.

There's a First Time for Everything

My mom and I have been working extra hard this week to get stuff done since the BIG party is only 5 days away! So today we went to get our nails done for the first time ever, along with my sister Sara, as a treat for all the work. I've noticed that all this wedding stuff has really let my inner girly-girl show through.



The chairs gives you a back massage...nice!

 



 



We had no idea that our hands were supposed to go inside...whoops

 



The final product!! Can you tell we're related?

 

Ta-Da!

I might actually be able to wear open toed shoes for the wedding!

Cornyval 5k - 6 years Later

The day after my awesome bridal shower was the Helotes Cornyval 5k. It had been nearly 6 weeks since my last race due to injury, so there wasn't a whole lot to expect. I did one workout 3 days prior to the race, which was all the aerobic work I had in my little legs going into the race.

I ran a 18:47 5k ftw, in humid/hot/hilly conditions. 6:03 average pace. Not horrible, not awesome. The course is pretty tough, and like I said, it was nasty out. I've got a long road ahead, but I know there are great things to come. I just have to keep my head up and my legs pumping away.

It was good to be back competing at the Cornyval 5k. It runs right around my high school so it brought back some great memories. The last time I did it was my senior year of high school since I was still competing in college and last year was at the Stanford meet. My whole family came out, and most of them ran the race. Jer's mom (from Houston) came out to watch us, even though she was leaving for London the very next day. And last, but not least, my MT Liz came out to watch. She was going to race, and beat the pants off me, but unfortunately she rolled her ankle just two days prior. 



Jer hanging in for a solid 2nd place finish

 

Almost to the finish line!



Brother Andy with Oakley! 23:07 with a dog the whole way!



My other brother Mikey wondering why he woke up so early : )



Sara and me helping my mom to the finish!



The gang, minus Lizzy, cause she took the picture.



When One Door Closes...Break a Window

Good Friday ended up not being too good for me, or so I thought. That is the day I found out that Trinity didn't get the NCAA Matching Grant we had applied for or the other NCAA Internship another group in athletics was working on. So it left me without a job for next year...kind of a scary place to be in.

Jer and I spent that weekend in Houston going over all of our options. Lucky for us Jer has a great job and because he works extra hard, financially we'd be pretty ok if I didn't find something right away.

I was fortunate enough to experience quite a few things during my two year internship, one of which was taking action shots during home sporting events. I really started getting into it and my photos were also improving heaps compared to when I first began. I've always enjoyed taking photos. In high school and college I'd have my little camera anywhere I'd go and plaster photos up on photobucket.

So Jer, knowing me better than I know myself in this case, came up with the great idea of starting my own photography business! It'd be for action shots, since that's what I have the most experience at thus far. We decided on the name Daum Photography! Simple, I know. Jer didn't like it at first, but I think it's growing on him.

That same weekend we went out and bought a camera that would be perfect for action photography. The Sony Alpha 33.

We also got the 300mm lens so I could get those far away shots and they can still come out beautiful! It is 14.2 mega pixels for those high res photos, is lightweight, and has a 3 inch free angle mount which means I won't be cracking any screens anytime soon. I simply twist it 180 degrees and the screen is safely protected. It has a long list of other great features too. I'm going to take some free classes Wolfe is offering and possibly even a photography class at a community college over the summer since I have some extra money left in the professional development fund from the NCAA.

Obviously I have no idea how lucrative this business of mine would be since I've spent the last two years taking photos for free, but we're both really excited to see what happens. Lucky for me, I have amazing colleagues at Trinity too who are also helping as much as they possibly can. I'll still be taking photos for Trinity Athletics this coming year, but the difference is I'll get paid for it! Yahoo! I'll also be getting paid to help Trinity's SID with website maintenance to earn some extra money as well.

The great thing about the new change is I get to set my own schedule. I'll be able to train like an animal and be at the races I'm itching to compete at, which I wouldn't have been able to do due to work obligations at my previous job.

So here's to a great two years as the E-Tern (Emily + Intern = E-Tern), although I'm pretty sure that nickname will be following me around for awhile. I'm really excited to see what will become of Daum Photography!

Ode to Our Puppies

 I just got a new camera a couple weeks ago and was messing around, trying different things out. Jer and I have two puppies, who kinda mean the world to us, and who are apparently very photogenic. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Marzuki all grown up



This one of Dexter just makes me laugh. I'd be perfect for a comic strip.

He's even cute upside-down

 

Messing with some color settings



Mazuki giving Dexter some kisses



He's the happiest puppy i've ever known



29 Until Jer is All Mine!

The clock is frantically ticking and with less than a month to go it's crunch time! I haven't gotten as much done on the to-do list this past month because things were still at a peak school/job wise, but with only 29 days to go there isn't a whole lot of procrastination time left.

Wedding To Do List…

Invitations to the wedding

Invitations to the engagement party

Dress Alterations

Dress Shoes

Wedding Cake

Marrying Man

Wedding Favors

Flower Bouquets

Registry

Book Honeymoon

Plan for the rehearsal lunch

Formal wear for the guys

Update Wedding Website

Wedding night hotel room

DIY Photobooth

Marriage Contract

Jer’s Ring

Get my rings resized

Guest Book

Music

SlideShow

Food at Reception

Drink list

Ring Bearer/Flower Girl Items

Garter

On the plus side of things I received some terrific news today. Jer and I asked my grandpa, Charles Coogan, if he'd do us the honor of officiating our wedding and he said YES! I didn't even think it was possible having a loved one officiate until I went to Alicia's wedding where she had her brother-in-law performing the ceremony. Apparently it only takes 3 minutes to become a certified minister. Who knew? I couldn't be happier having one of the greatest men alive marrying me and my best friend.

PS: Liz threw me an amazing bridal shower this weekend which I will post soon! We've also got an engagement party this coming weekend hosted by my lovely parents...so many awesome parties to look forward to this May!!