It’s official – I just faxed in my registration form for the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon! Registering makes it feel much more real (and much more terrifying!). Training starts tomorrow and I’m really excited to get back into it. I’ve felt so sluggish and unmotivated this past month. It will be nice to be back on a schedule, and have new runs to look forward to.

Our next official race is the Hyde Park Blast on June 28th. Two years ago we walked this race (because the shirts were super cute), and last year we ran it for the first time. It is a 4 mile run that ends with a horrible hill on Handasyde Ave. However, this is my favorite race of the year because it’s in our neighborhood AND you are allowed to run with dogs! Last year I ran with Indy (see picture) and Casey ran with Huey, but this year Linds is going to run with Huey so Casey can get a better time. Looks like we won’t have any medal winners this year, but they will still love to do the run with us. I got them matching patriotic bandanas just for the occasion.

Another reason to love the Hyde Park Blast:

Kegs/Eggs Breakfast – Join your fellow runners and walkers for the best breakfast spread and post-race party in the city (complimentary for all registered participants). Kegs and Eggs provided by Frisch’s and Christian Moerlein. Participants will also be able to enjoy organic fruit and other offerings from Bigg’s, Servatti’s, Busken and other sponsors. New for this year: All runners and walkers of legal drinking age will be able to start the post-party reload early with Bloody Mary’s (virgin and regular) or Mimosas from Teller’s.

Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas sound good to me!

On a wedding note – the dresses we looked at on Thursday were too expensive and not quite the right colors. The search continues!

Okay first off, please excuse my brief moment of delusion when I honestly thought I might get my bridesmaid dresses at the GAP. So horrible. Luckily, Lindsey got my mind back on track when she introduced me to the lovely dresses of Siri. We are going on a “research trip” this afternoon to a store in Cincy called Bella Donna. They have the Riviera dress, and we are going to go check it out in person. If you care about this, and check out the website, the other styles I love are the Peggy Lee, Natasha, and Purdue dresses (obviously in other colors). See the Riviera below…

Isn’t she pretty? (The dress, not necessarily the model). It’s hard for me to tell if the stripes are really pink and grey, or if it’s more of a pink and tan. Regardless, we’re going to go see it and check on pricing, sizing, etc. Updates to follow!

I’ve added a side bar of links to our wedding vendors if anyone is interested. Obviously I don’ t have much planned yet, so there aren’t many links! Hopefully more to come soon…

Last night we had horrible storms and our power went out around 6pm. It didn’t come back on until 6am this morning! You don’t realize how dependent you are on electricity until it goes out. The dogs were freaked out, so we all hung out in the living room with every candle we owned and a bottle of red wine. It actually made for a nice, relaxing evening.

Tonight Casey and I are trying the yoga class at Urban Active for the first time. I am proud of him for being open to it and at least giving it a try, even though he’ll probably be the only guy in there. We’ve read a lot about yoga helping runners with flexibility and keeping muscles loose, so we’re giving it a try. Training for Chicago starts next Tuesday!