Feeling Hot Hot Hot

I gave into a little friendly peer pressure and joined a yoga studio. Let me clarify...a HOT yoga studio. It is sweaty, and steamy, and totally awesome. I don't look pretty after class (it takes two towels to keep me from slipping and sliding all over the mat), but I feel great. I was getting a little bored with my regular running routine, and wanted to change things up a little. I think it is really helping my running.

This place is a totally hippie, take your shoes off before you enter kind of place, but its fun. The only part that is a little too granola for my taste is the fact that the showers are across the studio from the changing rooms so there are often half naked toweled people roaming around. I like to keep shower time separate from time with my new yoga friends.

Speaking of friends, you really have no choice but to make friends as there is about a 3 inch gap between your mat and your neighbors. They have been able to maximize their space by marking off places for your mat, so it is not a free for all when you get in the room. My first day I inadvertently sat next to a very hairy, exceptionally sweaty dude who did not fully grasp the idea of personal space. Note to self, pick a spot next to the petite, pro-yoga looking chicks. They know how to control their bodies enough not get all up in your business.

I did my 3rd class today and have liked each one. They have a deal for new people, unlimited classes for the first month for $40. I plan to take full advantage.

Gone Fishing

Yes, I know the correct form is Gone Fishin, but I believe that only true outdoorsy, real fishermen type people should be allowed to say that. And JJ and I are not that type.

When Hunter (I mean seriously, even his name is outdoorsy) called to invite us fishing, we actually had to ask him what we should wear. His response? "Oh that's cute." After being told we could just wear jeans and t-shirts, I looked at JJ and explained that I don't own outdoorsy jeans and no, I would not be wearing my Michael Kors jeans to go fishing. I settled on yoga pants and a grey t-shirt (to make JJ feel more comfortable). JJ wore the only pair of jeans he owns and his Dunder Mifflin 5K shirt (if you know what I am referring to, we will be best friends for life).

We headed south on 77 to South Carolina and met Hunter and Jordan at the bait shop. I'm not going to lie to you, the bait shop was an experience all in itself. The parking lot was full of old pickup trucks and camouflage. And in case I was at all confused as to what type of people frequented this store, a man wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word "Redneck" strolled out the front door. Needless to say, the yoga pants did not fit in.

After awkwardly wandering around the snack section of the bait shop while waiting for Hunter and Jordan to pick out what we would needed (because we didn't know what to look at) we headed out to the pond. The pond is on the property of a friend of a friend who has over 100 acres outside of Rock Hill, SC. It is a beautiful property and very relaxing being out in the country like that.

Hunter handed JJ and I fishing poles and taught us how to cast and then set me up with minnows for bait. As much as I was trying to really get into this, I just couldn't handle putting the minnows on the hook. I'm not so much a fan of handling live fish (or birds, or bugs, or reptiles...).

We spent about an hour without much action, but finally Hunter got a bite and let me reel it in. Pretty exciting for a fishing newbie. I kind of gave up after that because I achieved my goal (touching the fish) and my arm was getting tired and I had lost the original minnow on my hook and didn't want to deal with putting another one on and I was more interested in watching the beaver that was swimming in the pond about 50 yards away. (Does that sound like enough excuses?) I was actually a lot happier just enjoying view and the weather sitting in the grass.

Even though I have been making fun of it a little, we both had a really good time. It doesn't get much better than good company and new experiences in my opinion. We'll see if they invite us back again...

Almost Famous

Tonight JJ and I took Barney for a walk. The weather has been beautiful and Barney needed to get rid of some energy. We walked out the front door and before we even got all the way down the driveway two little boys (around 10) rode their bikes up to us. I was really just an observer of this whole encounter because they weren't interested in anything I had to say.

The conversation goes as follows:

Little Boy #1: "We heard a football player lives here."

JJ: "Uh yea, that's me."

Little Boy #2: "Are you JJ Jansen?"

JJ: "Yes."

Little Boy #2: "You really play for the Panthers?"

JJ: "I do."

Little Boy #1: "Wow. You must be really rich."

JJ: "Uhhhhhhhh, no. Not really."

Little Boy #2: "Well at least you're famous."

JJ: "Haha, no."

Little Boy #2: "How old are you?"

JJ: "I'm 24."

Little Boy #1: You're really tall."

JJ: "Yea, I'm about 6'3"."

Little Boy #1: "No, I mean you're really tall for your age."

JJ: "Well, I think I'm done growing."

Little Boy #2: "How big is the ball you play with?"

JJ: [awkward hand gestures]

Little Boy #1: "What position do you play?"

JJ: "I'm the long snapper."

Little Boy #2: "What's that?!?" (Once again, no one has any idea what exactly it is that JJ does.)

JJ: "I snap the ball to the punter and the kicker."

Little Boy #1: "Don't you want to play another position?"

JJ: "They won't let me."

This continued for a few more minutes until the boys were called home for dinner. I was to the side giggling to myself during the entire exchange. I was pretty impressed with the rapid fire style of questioning these two kids had come up with. Most likely, one of the neighbors told them about JJ, because I'm guessing they didn't recognize him from his online roster picture.

Soooo Tricky

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed JJ's post. I was very impressed with his writing and he is still gloating about his super sneaky hacker skills. He actually wrote the entire thing while laying next to me in bed. I was still half asleep (recovering from the run, of course) and thus, oblivious to his super secret mission.

Based on the positive feedback he received (mostly from our moms), he has started talking about what his next post will be about and even whether or not to start his own blog...copycat. One of his teammates also wants in on the action, so maybe someday I will be able to pass along the link to JJ and Hunter's twisted world.

But until then, I guess I will allow him to continue hacking.

Thank You

I wanted to thank everyone who read my guest blog. I had a lot of fun, even if most of the rush came from sneaking around and submitting my post before Laura figured out what I was doing. I'm hoping to parlay this into a permanent guest spot, so let Laura know if you liked it. If you didn't, keep your comments to yourself. Nobody asked you anyway. Just kidding, but not really.

Thanks again,

JJ

Guest Post: JJ at the Finish Line

As the title might suggest, Laura will not be writing this post. I've successfully hacked into her blog and fully intend on giving my report of the most recent events gripping the Jansen's here in Charlotte. Now, in the past Laura has always been able to give her reports to the funny, amusing, and sometimes disturbing encounters that she's had with fellow Charlotteans (ok, so I don't think that's how you spell it, but you get the point) and so on. I've also noticed that from time to time, my good name is used for the amusement of the blog. With this in mind I've been waiting for the right moment to exact my revenge. Unfortunately, my encounter yesterday at Laura's 10K might not be the best day to portray myself in the best light. But here it goes anyway...

Many of you know that I start my weekdays getting up around 7 to do my household chores (i.e. getting Barney his breakfast and morning pee...not always in that order) and then getting out the door to participate in our offseason workouts. So, I'm always looking forward to the weekends where I can sleep in until 8 (that's when Barney wakes me up) and basically relax the day away. This weekend I had planned on more of the same. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that Laura's 10K was this weekend, so when Saturday rolled around I was greeted by a 6:15 alarm. Laura hopped out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready. Barney and I decided it was too early and continued sleeping. 6:15 turned into 6:45 and still neither one of the Jansen boys had move. (We don't get up until 7.) Finally, I rolled out of bed, put on a signature gray T-shirt, a sweatshirt and the same white shorts I had worn for two days in a row and got into the car to drive Laura to the race.

When we got the race, we quickly realized that we were both a little under dressed given the 35 degree morning temp. I knew Laura would be fine once she started running, but I knew I would need something to warm me up and I certainly wasn't going to be doing any running. I decided maybe some early morning tea might do the trick, so I planned on making a Starbucks run once Laura began the race. More on this in a second...

As we approached the starting line, I noticed that everybody seemed to have on either an orange or white number, signifying which race they'd be running in. Everyone except me. I quickly realized that either no body else was dumb enough to wake up at 6 in the morning on a Saturday to run a race in the freezing temperatures, or I was the only person lazy enough to show up and not want to run. Either way, I wasn't off to a good start.

Laura began warming up. Being an elite athlete myself, I offered up some suggestions as to what she might do in her warmup. I, of course, figured that she would be quite receptive to some stretching routines used at Bank of America Stadium each and every morning. She looked at me, seemed to take in everything I had suggested and then said, "Thanks so much baby, but I think those years of track, volleyball and months of training for half-marathons and 10Ks have probably taught me a thing or two about warming up. I think I'll be okay!" And with that she tap me sarcastically on the shoulder twice and began her light jogging and stretching.

Now being professionally demoralized and with Laura making her final preparations, I began to survey all the competitors and handicap the field...

The Favorites:

The two Kenyans: Draped in green and gold, both of these young men looked destined for a great run. Of course this was probably a training run for a full marathon, so I fully expected them to do well.

Really amped up guy: As the named suggests, this twenty-something gentleman was near the start of the line, and really roaring to go (something tells me he took off sprinting, feeling really good about himself until he threw up his 8th Red Bull of the morning at mile marker 3.

The Dark Horses:

Cougar Town: A young girl in her early twenties, looking fit and ready to go. However, she chose to wear a leopard-print skirt to the race with a tank-top. Laura and I were both speechless.

You Can Run With Us: A pack of 40 or 50-somethings holding up a sign that indicated that they were planning on running 12 minute miles. They seemed really friendly, even letting others know that "you can run with us." I never saw them finish.

With the field handicapped and Laura ready to go the starting line, I decided to warm up a bit by going to get my tea. I arrived at Starbucks and spent 10 minutes trying to get a tea (even though I was the only one in the store) because the three baristas all kept trying to explain to me which teas had caffeine, which ones were herbal, which ones were organic, which ones were from South America, North America, Europe, which ones were good for morning, which ones should be drank with milk, sugar, honey, etc. Needless to say, I just wanted the Awake tea that I had come in for. (I never should of asked if they could recommend something for me).

Now with my tea firmly in my hand and 10 minutes of my life I'll never get back, I drove back to the race and walked towards the start finish line. It was about 8:15 and I knew Laura's 10-minute mile pace would have her finishing around 8:30. The walk from the parking lot was a little further than I expected and I began to get a bit nauseous...no joke.

At the finish line, many of the fastest runners had come in and were celebrating with friends and family and it made me really excited to be there when Laura finished. Meanwhile, I could barely stand from the nausea. As Laura approached I got a rush of adrenaline and watched her power through the finish line with a time of 59:17. An average mile time of 9:43. Laura had beat both of her goals, 10-minute miles and under 1 hour. I was so proud of her. Unfortunately, I was the one still literally sick to my stomach.

As Laura took a cool down walk, I had to duck behind a trailer to avoid being out of sight in case I threw up. All I could tell myself was "don't throw up in front of people who just ran between 6 and 13 miles this morning." I even went over to the refreshments table and ate the oranges, bananas and bagels laid out for the racers.

Finally, after 45 minutes of nausea and almost throwing up on 3 separate occasions, I was able to work up the energy to actually tell Laura that I was feeling sick to my stomach. When she asked me what I had ate, I told her nothing except for the tea. She started laughing. I didn't find it amusing. Then she told me that the acids in teas make you sick to your stomach if you don't eat. I still didn't find it that amusing, but at least she'd figured out the problem for me. Needless to say I'm glad she had because if I had kept drinking that tea I surely would've been the one that all the racers would've been telling each other, "look at that guy over there with his head in the trash can, he must've run really hard." And they wouldn't have been further from the truth...

Like the post? Hate the post? Think I should continuing hacking in? Let me know with your comments below. Thanks.

Car Wash

Spring time in Charlotte is beautiful. Trees getting their leaves back, days of sunshine, and flowers blooming all around. Those beautiful blooming flowers also bring along pollen. Everywhere. There is a fine, yellow dust covering anything and everything left outside for any period of time. Our sidewalk, our patio table and of course, all of our cars because we don't have a garage.

So when I was at the gas station filling up the Camry, and it asked if I would like to add on a car wash, I figured "Why not?" I paid the extra $5 and grabbed my receipt with the special code to enter at the automatic car wash around back. I pulled up to the machine, rolled down my window, typed in the code and then read the instructions. No big deal. Pull up to the yellow line, then the red light will come on to tell you to stop and the car wash will start. When the light turns green, its over and you can be on your way. Well I pulled forward, started to roll up the window and was still at least 10 feet from the yellow line and the water started...before the window was even half way up. I got a blast of rushing water right in the left side of my face. Sweet.

Water was pouring in, I couldn't get the window to roll up fast enough. I thought about trying to reverse out of the machine but I was still trying to process what exactly had just happened and just kind of froze in place. I finally got the window up, but not before creating an indoor swimming pool in the car. I was soaked, my leather purse (and everything in it) was soaked, the floor was soaked. I had to sit in that puddle patiently waiting for the car wash to finish.

It finally finished and I drove home with all the windows down to air dry it. I called JJ to tell him what had happened and to have him meet me at the curb with an armful of towels. I got out of the car looking like a drowned rat, and all he could do was laugh. I laughed too, but not before pouting a little to try to get some sympathy. No dice. Just laughter.

The best part of the whole story...less than 24 hours after this whole experience the car was covered in pollen again. Best $5 I've ever spent.

Savannah Ya'll

A. Mazing. Trip. We got back from Savannah last night and I am still in shock about how wonderful that city is. In fact, I just started reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to make my trip mentally last a little longer. And I'm going to watch the movie after I finish the book. Everyone would enjoy and appreciate this city, it has so much to offer.

Day 1
We drove down and got in around noon. We went straight to City Market to meet up with our tour guide. City Market is kind of the center of the Historic District with lots of shops and restaurants. It is great for people watching (we played "I Spy" with some of the more colorful people we spotted). Our tour guide was ok, full of knowledge but really socially awkward so I wouldn't recommend her. I got her name from the tour guide I wanted, but he was booked. Oh well, we got the information at least. After the tour, we had a snack at a hole in the wall called Zunzi's, a South African/Internationally eclectic take out restaurant that the locals like. Tons of food, really cheap, and really good. We wandered around for a bit after that and went back to the hotel for a nap. That night we went down to River Street for dinner at Boar's Head Tavern, at the suggestion of one of Carolyn's sorority sisters from Atlanta. She was right on, the food was fabulous (get the shrimp and grits!). After that, we took my mom on a mini bar crawl and found a place with fabulous Georgia Peach Bellinis.

Day 2
Carolyn and I started the day by going for a run through the Historic District. A perfect way to start the day and totally necessary with all the Southern cooking we were enjoying. We even got to run through the Colonial Park Cemetery. According to Carolyn I'm not normal because I love old cemeteries. I just think there is something beautiful about them and love reading the headstones. Anyway, after the run we wandered around the city a little more and went to Vic's on the River for lunch. This was my favorite meal of the trip! Get the fried green tomato BLT or the flounder po boy. Next up was a horse drawn carriage ride with Carriage Tours of Savannah. It was a great way to see more of the city and totally relaxing, just make sure you get a covered carriage because it can get toasty in the sun. At the recommendation of our tour guide, we went to Mabel's Cupcake Emporium for an afternoon snack. Better than Sprinkles in my opinion. Later that night we went to the Westin across the river for an oyster roast and s'mores (they do this the first Friday of the month). We were lucky enough to bring our bucket over to a table with the hotel GM and he taught us how to shuck the oysters. Carolyn is now a pro. We took the ferry back to River Street just in time to grab another Bellini and watch he fireworks display. (Note: you can get your drinks to go at the restaurants/bars in the Historic District and sit outside to enjoy the view. Just like Vegas, but classier ya'll!)

Day 3
After checking out of the hotel, we ate our way through Savannah on the Foody Tour. Best. Tour. Ever. We went to 7 different restaurants and were able to sample some of the best local food the city has to offer. A great way to try lots of different things without having to commit to a full meal at any one restaurant. You can't miss this if you go to Savannah. We ended up having so much food I had to save my dessert for later. The tour included a trip to The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant, where we got to sample the fried chicken and mac and cheese. I don't think it is worth waiting in line for the restaurant, just do the tour instead. Other tour highlights: Harris Baking Co pastries, Angel's BBQ, Wright Square Cafe chocolate, The Distillery's burger and fries, Polk's Fresh Produce tomato and mayo sandwich (surprisingly great), and Savannah Bee Company for honey tasting.

It was a perfect girl's weekend, but I'm happy to be back home with JJ. I will add some pictures as soon as my mom and sis email them to me!