Life Underwater

My life as an animal-loving, book blogging, photography-obsessed Army girlfriend.

[melissaswims]

arizona happened (so did sharkfest)

Guys, I failed at updating this lil' bloggity blog. I seriously did, and I'm sorry. The truth is, I really don't have an excuse because it's super freaking easy to write a post and say "hey, I'm in Arizona with my man." The other truth is that I just didn't want to spend anymore time online than I absolutely had to.

You see, for the first time in about a year, I actually got to spend more than 2-3 days with Ryan at a time. I flew out to Arizona on August 30th, and I just got back this past Friday - only just in time to do the Boston Sharkfest swim. Pretty much everyone has been asking me how I liked Arizona, and the answer is simple. Arizona is whatever (hot, dry, blech), but being with Ryan makes any place worth it. 

We didn't do too many crazy things. We really just enjoyed spending time together - just the two of us - because it doesn't happen too often. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Long distance sucks. It sucks a lot. But if you have someone that you love, that loves you back and that makes you smile even on the worst of days, long distance is entirely worth it in the end. 

Enough of the mush though. I get to see Ry again in less than 3 weeks, as I'm visiting him and his family in Utah for a long weekend (and I can't wait)! But for now, I'll leave you with a few pics from the trip...and from Sharkfest in Boston.

[melissaswims]

paula + chris - engagement shoot

Today, I had SUCH a blast shooting engagements for two friends of mine, Paula and Chris. The weather was pretty much perfect, so we decided to take advantage of that first, and we took some fun shots at the Windham Rail Trail with their pup, Lola. Then, we headed over to their gym in Hampstead for some fun exercise pics because, let's get real, they're the fittest ever :) 

[melissaswims]

emma - styled shoot

Today I had the great pleasure to photograph the absolutely stunning (seriously) daughter of a good friend from my CrossFit gym. Little Emma is going to be a heartbreaker some day. Of this I am sure. But before then, we had some great fun shooting at an apple orchard in Windham, as well as at Searles Castle. Here's just a wee little sneak peek of today's shoot!

[melissaswims]

lexi - natural newborn photoshoot

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing a little wee nugget, Lexi Jane, born just over a week ago. Usually when we do newborn shoots, we want the baby to be asleep the entire time, but Lexi just wasn't having it! So, we worked with her and got some super sweet (and sleepy) shots. Plus, her sister, Kayla, was very excited to be a part of it ;) 

[melissaswims]

on self-doubt

I swear that my biggest character flaw has been and probably always will be self-doubt. Everything I do - regardless how good or how bad - is judged tenfold by yours truly. That goes for photography, too. Don't get me wrong...I love it. I really, really do. I have this innate fear of letting people down through my work though, and it's crippling. 

With that said, I'm forcing myself to trudge on. I have a newborn photoshoot tomorrow with a wee little babe named Lexi...just barely over a week old. I also have an engagement shoot with two friends, Paula and Chris, scheduled for next week. But, for now, I leave you with a sampling of Danielle's photoshoot with her horse, Wyllpower.

[melissaswims]

8 days

After two very long months without seeing Ryan, I am so excited to say we have just 8 more days to go! He's flying in for his birthday on August 16th, and I couldn't be more excited to spend his special day with him. I've made some fun plans, which I'm pretty sure (read: hoping) he'll love, and he's meeting my parents the same weekend. Yep, that's right. After 10 months together, he's finally meeting my parents.

I'm not scared, and I'm certainly not nervous. Ryan is pretty much the greatest thing to have ever happened to me, and I'm proud to show him off and brag about him to anyone that will listen. 

And, get this! I'll be heading to Arizona to see him just a mere 12 days later! I'll be visiting him for about 3 weeks in which we're going for a trial cohabitation of sorts. I know it sounds silly, but look...the majority of our relationship has been long distance. We speak every day, we Facetime, and we are pretty much always in contact, but our visits are like vacations every time. It's time to see what reality is like ;)

Until then...here's a little shot of my love re-enlisting. Love, love, love him.

[melissaswims]

snapshots from the shoot

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of styling and shooting a fantastic model, Brandy, at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, MA. She was so fun to work with, and I'm thrilled with the results of our shoot. Here are just a few of the edited images to start :)

[melissaswims]

just keep...lifting

First and foremost, this encompasses all my thoughts regarding today:

Secondly, this morning's WOD was a beast, but I absolutely loved it. An update on my knee...the MRI showed a partial rupture of my patellar tendon, which basically means that I tore a portion of the tendon off of my kneecap. No bueno. Eventually, I'll need surgery to repair it. For the time being, I cannot run, jump or do any lateral movements because it could tear off completely, and surgery will need to be immediate.

Nevertheless, I did this morning's workout...

A. Clean and jerk single - 15 mins: 143# (push jerk was dirty - can't split bc of knee) B. EMOM x 8; PC + PJ x 2 @60% of 1RM - 93# C. Back Squat, 1×10 @60%, 1×8 @65%, 1×6 @70%, 1×6 @75%, 1×6 @80%: 125#, 135#, 145#, 156#, 166# D. 15, 12, 9, 6 - Squat Cleans @108#, HSPU (2 mats) - 11:08

It actually felt pretty good, despite the constant tweaking of the knee, so we'll see how it progresses, I guess. I'm a bit bummed out about it, to be honest, and I'm just hoping I can continue working to get better. 

[melissaswims]

Once upon a time, this was my front squat series up to 173#, which is my current PR. We're in the middle of a squat cycle right now, so I'm hoping to see some pretty decent PRs soon. I PRd my back squat two weeks ago at 208#, and I think that, based on the series we did Monday, I can improve on that.

With averaging five days a week at Crossfit, plus Oly on Wednesday nights, I think that I'll be able to fix my form and see some gains pretty soon! 

Fingers crossed, of course ;)

[melissaswims]

tales of a tuesday

Can I just mention how very unpleasant it was to wake up this morning? It was pouring, and dark and wonderfully blissful and quiet. But the alarm went off, and I went to CrossFit because A) Jen would have called me out if I didn't, B) I desperately want to make it to Regionals next year and C) I'd be extremely disappointed in myself if I didn't. It was a doozy of a workout:

A. Hang power clean + TnG power clean x 2 - 128#  B. Push press 5x2 ascending - 103#, 108#, 113 #, 118#, 123# C. DB SA Row 4x6 @2020 - 35# D. 3 x 10 TGU (18# - couldn't get up bc of my knee), 25 GHD - 13:54

There's something satisfying about the pain though. I feel accomplished when I finish, and despite the fact that I'm dying to sleep by 4 PM, I love getting my day started with a great WOD. Today, I'm just busy streaming the CrossFit Games Masters division all day at work today. It doesn't get much better!

In other news, I have two photoshoots lined up! I'm shooting a high fashion/glamour shot on Friday evening, as well as another one on Tuesday. I look forward to taking shots, having some fun and getting out there to try some new stuff with the camera :)

[melissaswims]

working through the pain

So, the consensus on my insanely aggravating (and painful) knee issue is that I probably have a radial tear of my meniscus. JOY. I don't have the time, energy or money (my insurance sucks) to get it checked out f'reals, so I'll just have the fluid drained out of it in the meantime. It's amazing. I know. 

I sucked it up though, put a brace on it, and I did this morning's WOD. It was a doozy, but I'm excited that my back squats are starting to feel stronger and more controlled each week. The workout and results are as follows:

A. Back squat 1x10 @60% - 125#, 1x8 @70% - 145#, 1x6 @75% - 155#, 1x4 @80% - 165#  B. Snatch balance 5x2 @ 63#  C. Snatch high pull 3x3 @ 88# D. 10.8.6.4.2: Thrusters @ 93#, C2B pullups - 11:35 

The Spealer bars made all the difference on the chest to bar pullups. Thank GOD CrossFit Free knows what they're doing!

In other news, I spent this weekend getting a bit more acclimated with my camera because I'll be doing some photoshoots in the coming weeks, and I'm super excited...see below!

[melissaswims]

on missing people (and countdowns)

I swear that I miss him more every single day. I didn't even think that's possible. I do my very best not to tell him how much because I know that A) it doesn't help the situation and B) it stresses him out to know that I'm sad and worried about him. I swear...being in a relationship with someone in the military is like being in a relationship WITH the military. 

That, my friends, is why I'm thankful for good workouts like the one today. We started with a clean cluster and ended with a two-part WOD...listed below:

A. Squat clean, hang squat clean, TnG squat clean, front squat - 123#

B. 400m run, 50 squat cleans at 83#, 400m run - 13:04

10 mins rest

30 hspu, 60 box jumps, 30 hspu - 27:13 

I've been working my ass off at CrossFit this week, and even though I haven't seen any PRs yet, I feel myself getting stronger. It's a mental and a physical thing. Plus, it distracts me from missing my man too much.

28 days until I get to see this... :))))

[melissaswims]

tuesday morning WOD

This morning's workout deceived me. On paper, it didn't look too bad, but in reality...wowza. I definitely did a number on my chest plate with that one. The workout for competitors was:

A. 30 power cleans @90% AFAP - 123# in 9:07

B. Clean pulls 4x2 @130% - 183# 

C. Strict pull ups 7x3 - I did this with the smallest blue band possible. 

Holy ow. That's all I can say. Technically, my max for the power cleans is 153#, so 90% should have been around 135#. I went for it, and whether it was fatigue or whatnot, I could barely muscle up two of them. Instead, I went with 123#, which was still pretty dang hard at that number of reps.

The clean pulls were interesting. I need to work my speed in the pulls and, instead of just arching my back to muscle the bar back on the actual clean portion, I need to drive my hips. It's so much weight that it barely moves fast at all. Yuck. This needs a ton of work.

As for strict pull ups, I've been slacking. Since I got my kipping pull ups, I kind of let strict get on the backburner. I think I need to work the strength with the teeny band for a good while just to get the reps in. I can do one...max...in a row. With a band, I still struggle, but at least I can do them.

Phew! At least that WOD is done!

[melissaswims]

snapshots (& snippits) from the weekend

This weekend, I photographed the competition at my CrossFit gym. Ask me how long it's going to take me to edit 400+ photos. Ask me. I dare you. But f'reals. I also went to the beach with my sister, brother-in-law, mums and father...a beautiful beach day, if I might add.

Other than that, well, nothing really happened. It was blissful. 

But I still miss Ryan.

[melissaswims]

on getting stronger

I swear that CrossFit and I have a love/hate relationship. I love it because I'm stronger than I've ever been in my life. I love it because I have these muscles that prove to me that I am fierce, I am driven and I can pretty much accomplish anything I want. I love it so much, in fact, that I convinced Ryan to give it a go. (I'm pretty sure he has a love/hate relationship with it, too.)

Okay, so here's the thing...I've accomplished a lot since I got there. I can kip 10+ pullups together at a time. I can squat clean 153#. I can jerk that weight, too. I can bench press 130# and strict press 100#. Yesterday I PRed my back squat at 208#. Then, today, I went after it again per our programming and didn't make it past 198#.

That, my friends, is where the hate comes in. Granted, I don't really hate it, per se. I get frustrated. BUT, I wouldn't change it for the world. Why would I want to stop doing something that's made me happy, strong, powerful and given me incredible friends? Answer - I wouldn't. 

^^^

how I sometimes (lately) feel about CrossFit.

[melissaswims]

summer loving

Can I just say that I can't believe it's already July? It's been almost three weeks since I last saw Ryan in Arizona, and I'm missing him like crazy. It's insane. I never really thought I'd feel this way, to be honest. 

For those that don't know, I was engaged before. It was a toxic relationship though. He was a child, and I think I was so ready to settle down that I thought I'd just be able to stomach it forever. Well, needless to say, I wasn't able to, and after a series of pretty crappy events, I ended it. For a while, I didn't think I'd find anyone that would be able to break down the wall I put up to stop myself from getting hurt again, but then I met Ryan. 

Ryan's been married before, and it didn't work out. He understands my worries and my fears, and he does his very best to validate me and assure me of his love every single day. He's hilarious, and kind, and smart and so driven...all qualities which speak to my soul. I think that's why I love him so dang much.

But seriously...it's another month until I get to see him, and then he'll be here with a nice lil' four-day pass for his birthday, visiting my parents and a few surprises to treat him. Until then, I'm living and loving through text, phone calls and an inordinate amount of FaceTime. 

^^^ Just some of the many reasons I love this man.

Now, if someone could just help me learn to be more patient with his busy schedule, which interferes with my ability to stay sane, that would be awesome. K thnx.

[melissaswims]

just the beginning

I figured I'd start this blog (despite my better judgement) because my future is very up in the air right now. I'm a blogger...elsewhere, that is. I review young adult books over at I Swim for Oceans, and I've been doing so since 2009. 

This blog, however, is a bit different. Colour it a personal blog of sorts. My boyfriend, Ryan, is a Staff Sergeant in the US Army, currently stationed about 1,000+ miles away from me in Arizona. I live in New Hampshire, and I work just outside of Boston for the time being. We've been together for about 8 months, and we see each other about once a month, if we're lucky. 

In September, I'll be out there for 3 weeks, seeing what life is like together with more than just a few days at a time, and I'm so excited for what the future has in store for us! He's an incredible man with a ton of heart and a huge passion for what he does. I'm lucky enough to have a job that affords me the opportunity to work remotely, so here's hoping I have a reason to do so...soon ;)

Until then, this blog will be a record of my CrossFit adventures, my forays into strict paleo eating and my love of this wonderful man that has changed me so much for the better.