I got a little email from my daughter explaining that I hadn’t gotten her reason for not wearing a white wedding dress quite right. I’d like to straighten that out by quoting the bride:
I’m not wearing white because there’s no reason to. I think upholding traditions just for the sake of tradition is silly, especially when the traditions started based on silly reasons anyway. Women started wearing white not because it represented virginity or purity, but because Queen Victoria wore white when everyone else was wearing their best blue/green/brown dress. I look at all these wedding magazines and to me it’s just like girls wearing Ugg boots because Angelina started wearing them . It’s just celebrity worship, gone amuck. And nothing is less feminist than not thinking for yourself (especially when you allow yourself to get duped into spending $1000 on a ballgown you’ll never wear again. I’d much rather spend $600 on Manolo Blahniks I’ll wear every New Years for the rest of my life). Plus white is really not that flattering. And Uggs are OUT.
Indeed they are and you, my darling, are way smarter than I can ever hope to be.
Although she isn’t wearing a white dress in the wedding we decided to go try some on just for fun. Just for my fun, that is. I think for her the fun factor rated about a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10 but she loves her Mama so she was a sport about it. And it might have been a little bit fun.
(click to see larger image)
Getting back to me and triathlon…….
I did zero training Saturday, Sunday and today. Horrors! The problem is that I had a soreness issue and didn’t know what to make of it. Friday I got a serious, serious cramp in my calf at the pool. I often get cramps in my calf when we do a lot of kicking or I’m swimming hard. It happens when I push off the wall on a flip turn. I can generally stretch my foot and keep it from getting too bad. As per my coach’s suggestion I take electrolyte drink to the pool with me to try to keep the cramps at bay. Anyhow, on Friday I was having these issue and then when I tried to get out of the pool by hoisting myself up on the deck and putting my foot on top of the gutter I got a hideously painful, super hard cramp in my calf. I fell back in the pool screaming ‘OW! OW! OW! MY LEG! MY LEG! OW!” (which was pretty damned funny except for the pain.) The life guard told me to grab my toes and stretch my foot to get rid of it. That worked. I used the ladder to get out of the pool and limped into the locker room. When I drove home I had to use both feet on the brakes because my leg was weak and quivering. My calf was so sore all weekend that I was limping.
That was weird. I’ve never had cramp created prolonged pain and I really didn’t know what to make of it. It totally screwed up my weekend, though. I was planning to do a brick on Saturday and then either just ride or just run on Sunday. I did nothing. I’ve done nothing today although I expect I’ll get on the trainer this evening.
I’m back in the saddle now but I’m getting terrified of Wildflower. I really only have 5 good training weeks and then a week of taper. I’m trying not to feel like I’m toast. April will be interesting.
One other pain point – I didn’t see the latest Wildflower newsletter until today. It listed a Wildflower training camp that took place this weekend. grrr… not that I had time and if I had registered for that and had this pain I don’t know what I would have done but be that as it may I feel like I missed something important.
Did I mention I’m terrified of Wildflower. Oh yes I am!
21st-century-mom.com 
You are going to do fine…sorry to hear about the cramping stuff. Maybe a banana or other high-potassium fruit an hour before you swim? I am sure you eat this way anyway…
Just have fun with Wildflower.
The dresses are pretty and so is your daughter. Do they come in any other color? I like the poofy-back one! 🙂
Now- I am really glad there are “tech-heads” out there like yourself. Sometimes it just boggles my mind and when it takes longer to make a $ transaction with cash because of all the bells and whistles, well sometimes I just have to wonder what the end goal is, and for whom?
I am glad also there are people such as yourself that would step up to the plate to become a foster parent. That’s a hard role and I am sure you have made a difference in that child’s life. It’s all I can hope for during the last 32 years. ( I have been to court a few times to fight for kids, it’s not fun).
It’s just that as time goes on more and more is designated to schools and they have become the sole scapegoat for anything a kid does, and I am speaking of if/when they become wayward. Parents don’t have to take the rap anymore , and choose not to, and that’s the scary part. It’s a victim’s society for the most part!
White or no white..either way…she’s beautiful!!
I am a only a novice swimmer but I too have had those calf cramps on the kick board. Don’t stress I feel like a slug, I have not run for 9 days now with this ITB thing.
mom – i swear that 90% of the whole thing is mental. you will do fine in wildflower – remember those hills you climbed the other day? you know you can do it. you just have to remember those every time you start to get nervous. push the negative out of your mind – don’t even let yourself go there.
regarding the calf pain – i agree with fe-lady, try some potassium and some salt. i get them in the pool too for some odd reason and they hurt like hell. i get them too, if i point my toe too hard (which is probably the same motion you get when you push off).
how many days left till the wedding???
If you weren’t worried about Wildflower, then we would have something to worry about. You seem to have a healthy fear of it. I think your body can handle more than your mind thinks. You will be great! Oh and you’ll have so much fun meeting your bloggy friends.
FeLady – I am not a foster parent. I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) which is worthy but not a full time endeavor so not quite THAT worthy. I am a total tech head. I hear what you are saying about parents and it is both frustrating and shameful!
Momolisa – the wedding is T – 11 days and counting! We are all very excited.
She’d look cute in army boots! I didn’t want to wear a traditional wedding dress when I got married the first time, but succumbed to pressure by buying a used wedding dress for cheap. My fiance’s mother found it for me–I think she was horrified by my choice of dress. When I married SD, I wore a street length dress and wore it on many occasions until alas, I grew too large for it.
I love your daughter.
I’ve been married three times, and although I wore white dresses they were ANYTHING but traditional. The first was a little white cotton sundress (I was married in Hawaii) that cost $100. The second was a rented Scarlett O’Hara costume (October costume wedding), also $100. The third was a champagne colored Betsy Johnson tutu, ALSO $100.
I did, though, go try on the $10,000 (in 1989) dresses and man…. that was fun. The fabrics were amazing!!!
Good for her, being such an independent! And props to you on your triathalon training. I’ve entered the lottery to WALK the NYC Marathon this year. I didn’t get chosen the last time so we’ll see…
She is really gorgeous! but Manolo Blahniks??! uggs are more comfortable! (Not that I’d wear either of them!) She’s very wise for her age. but i guess she gets that from her mom.
🙂