WE'RE ENGAGED!!!

Alright. For those of you that want to know the juicy details here it is!

Ever since my parents have announced their upcoming move to New Zealand, Geoff and I have been having some serious talks. To be totally honest, we both knew REALLY early on that this day would come. So it was really just a matter of time. We knew we had to make it through next year with as little major distractions as possible, both because of the importance of the competitive seasons and because of Geoff is just starting grad school. Plus, family means a lot to me. I didn't want to reach any major milestones in our relationship while my parents were out of the country. We had basically decided that we would get married in the fall of 2013. So our two options we were left with were wait to get engaged after my parents returned from NZ and have a super short engagement, or get engaged now and have a really long engagement. I get stressed enough with everyday life, so the longer we have to plan the wedding the happier I'll be. :)

So I knew things were coming, I just had no idea it would be this soon! I knew Geoff was going to have an important talk with my Dad last weekend. He didn't tell me, but it was the only time we were guaranteed to see my parents before they left the country. It didn't take much guessing. Once both my parents knew, we started celebrating and it kind of felt like we were already engaged. But Geoff needed to talk to his family too before we made things official. It worked out that he had to leave Pinehurst before me to make it to some meetings at ETSU. So my mom brought me back on Thursday and we met Geoff in Banner Elk. There is a gorgeous river just outside of downtown that is a special place for the two of us. We had one of our first dates there, and it is a place where we both had the first inkling of how great things would be. :) We parked by Geoff's car and his only instructions were for me to come find him. My mom waited in the car, and I set off down the trail. Once I spotted him in the middle of the river, it seemed like it took FOREVER for me to make my way out there to him over all the rocks. He was waiting with a blanket, two champagne glasses, and the Bruno Mars song 'Marry Me' playing on his iPod. He filled the champagne glasses with apple cider he had kept chilled in the river and asked me right out there on the rock. So perfect!!

But the best part was THE RING! We are designing our own ring using diamonds from my both of my grandmothers' rings, plus some from my mother. I'm so excited that my ring with have true sentimental value. I definitely wish my grandparents could have met Geoff, but this way I think that they will always be with us. Unfortunately we can't afford the setting that we want just yet. So in the few days while I was in Pinehurst and he was back in TN he was working hard, unbeknownst to me. This is what he proposed with:

I LOVE it!! Absolutely!! It is so perfect! We have also decided that I will wear one of my grandmothers rings in the meantime to make it seem officially official. (In case there were any doubters... :) ) And he also made me a small ring out of hemp that I can wear to practice in. So I am never at a loss for rings to wear! :)

As we said, the wedding will be a long time coming. Fall of 2013, in Pinehurst at my parents house on the lake. So start planning time off now! We probably won't set a date for a little while. We will have to schedule the wedding around our competition seasons... Of course. Haha. Those of you that have already been through the wedding planning process- any and all advice is welcome!! I took one look at the wedding books at Barnes and Noble and was instantly overwhelmed... Good thing we have plenty of time. We'll find out how good we are at procrastinating....

Injury Update

So. I have gotten a few different opinions on my foot. The week we decided to end the season I started seeing a physical therapist in town to figure out what is going on and to start treatment. I also went to see an orthopedist during some down time at home with my parents. Both of them came back with the same diagnosis: I have partially torn 3 ligaments in my foot. For the anatomically inclined, it's the Abductor Hallucis, Flexor Digitorum Brevis, and the Plantar Fascia tendon. (Don't explain my injury and leave me alone with Netter's... I get curious).

The only thing I really need is rest. Both gave me a timeline of about 4 weeks out, which is perfect. I have already been resting for 2 weeks, and I have another 2 weeks before fall training is scheduled to start. So overall, I'm optimistic. And I really do think it's a one time injury that I can overcome and move past. But I will say that it will be nice to put on a real pair of shoes again and toss this boot aside. With some care and attention it doesn't need to be a nagging injury that hangs with me until the end of 2012. In the meantime I will be enjoying my time off, trying to relax and get refocused for the year to come!

Sad Day.

It's been a rough few weeks for me here. I have made some progress on the runway. Definitely turned some heads at my last couple of meets. It feels good to finally feel comfortable with my run and plant. The unfortunate consequence is that I have ended up blowing through poles so the improvements haven't resulted in any spectacular meet results. But progress is progress and I can't be disappointed with it.

Unfortunately I feel like I have been fighting off injuries the last few weeks. Our schedule had me competing in 2 more meets. Both of them are here at home, the last 2 installments of Friday Night Heights. With the way training has been going, I had no doubts that I would end the season with a big result. But my body has other plans. Since our last meet over a week ago, I have been trying to manage an issue with my heel. I was able to practice last Monday, but since then I have pretty much been limping around. It always is excruciating in the morning, then it starts feeling better by practice time in the evening so I can do at least a light workout.

But after a week of pretending it's not a big deal, tonight's practice was a slap in the face. It was actually feeling a lot better during the day, and I did some short run warm up vaults. But when I tried to sprint for a full run I could feel it escalating. And I just knew if I jumped on my heel at full speed it was going to hurt. A lot. My coach took a look at it after I decided to pack it in for the day. Just the little bit of poking he did sent the pain through the roof. I was almost in tears and couldn't put any weight on it. We both came to the decision that I should just end the season a few weeks early, and schedule a doctors appointment ASAP.

I have 4 weeks exactly until we are supposed to start our fall training. I am optimistic that we can get this issue sorted out quickly. And the rest of my body will be welcoming the break. I even have a few weeks off from work, so I can really do some relaxing. I think I will get to spend the entire time with Geoff, which I'm sure will be just what the doctor orders. :) And even though it is a premature end to the season, I made it much longer into the summer than I ever have before. Now I am confident I can jump well all the way through August. I know I have made significant and permanent changes to my vault since my move. And I'm looking forward to putting in some hard work this fall. Next year... it's going to be BIG!