A Well-Endowed Woman...

*WARNING* -- This post discusses boobs, bras, and cup sizes. If you’re shy, you might not want to read this. :)

As I mentioned in the first post, Andria and I did some bra shopping when she came to visit a couple weeks ago (after shopping at the running store). We were on a mission to find sports bras, an important piece of running gear that we ladies need to invest in. Specifically, we wanted to get some Enell bras, they’re one of the best brands that specializes in sports bras. I also wanted to get some regular bras because all of mine are pretty pathetic in terms of support, coverage, comfort, and well, every other standard. So, we set off on our search for bras, going to two different stores in OKC.

First I should state some facts – 1) if you take one look at me it’ll be immediately obvious that I’m pretty, umm, well-endowed, and 2) most women wish they had bigger boobs, but they don’t realize that having them can be both frustrating and costly! I hadn’t been measured in several years, and I’d been buying bras on the assumption that I was a DDD cup. After all, at one point I was a DDD, but my bras just didn’t fit me the right way anymore, and I knew I needed to get a new measurement. We started off by going to a place called Women’s Health Boutique, which turned out to be a really hoity-toity place (for lack of a better adjective). It turned out they didn’t carry any Enell sports bras, but we figured we could at least get measured and try on some regular bras.

We were assisted by a saleswoman who wanted to do just that – make a sale. She measured both Andria and I and promptly told me that I was a an ‘I’ cup…that’s 6 D’s…three D’s more than I’d been wearing everyday! I knew this just couldn’t be right and yet it seemed believable. It was all a little traumatizing and discouraging. I tried on bra after bra after bra none of them fit me very well. The saleswoman even told me she could order a bra she thought might work, and I could pay for it that day. I wasn’t about to do this though, I wanted to be able to try on the bra before buying it. Anyway, she then told me that one particular bra looked great on me when it actually looked terrible. I looked back at Andria’s facial expression in the mirror, and she confirmed that the woman was just trying to earn some commission on a sale. Needless to say, we headed off to another store where we hoped to have better luck.

Off to The Lingerie Store we went, with my wonderful husband having to be not only the chauffeur but also the listening ear for all of our venting about bras and big boobs. Poor guy!! He put up with us and he was very patient, one of the things I admire most about him. When we got to this other store we had a much better time. They did carry Enell, and it was pretty quick and easy to find a perfect fit for both of us. We had more comical times in the dressing room – trying to wrestle these things on is no easy task! They basically have no underwire and really no cups, but they have the hook closure in the front which goes pretty far up on the chest and it gives great coverage and support. My brother-in-law, Curtis, says on first glance they kind of look like running shorts! :)

Next, I told the saleswoman I also wanted to try on some regular bras. She took a quick measurement and said I was a size ‘H’cup, not an ‘I’ cup. This was a little relief, to be down by one letter. Sure enough, she brought out a bra for me which turned out to be absolutely perfect. And on the first try! This was a real confidence boost that I really needed. I felt like Cinderella finding her glass slipper, it was just great! To top it off, they were having a sale that day, so I invested in 4 regular bras and one Enell sports bra. Andria also got an Enell bra as well, so we left with, as we said, ‘Happy Boobs!’. I used the word ‘invest’ before because each bra was in the neighborhood of $48…You see how lucky all you A to C cuppers have it? You guys can just go to Wal-Mart and get them for cheap. Anyway, that’s enough out of me, besides I don’t want to give off a wrong impression. I really do love my boobs and my body in general! I have curves and there’s nothing wrong with that. Bottom line: every woman, regardless of her figure, should be happy with her reflection in the mirror.

Finally, after all this shopping, we headed back to Norman (about a 30 minute drive) and got a late lunch/early dinner. The rest of the weekend would be a ton of fun, as usual. On the day after the shopping, we all went for a great run at the local high school outdoor track. I’ll leave you hanging on this note, however, because this post has gotten way too long. Hope you enjoyed it though!

Hayley

A New Adventure, Now With New Shoes!

Well, the title of the blog says it all. I'm beginning a whole new lifestyle with the overall goal of losing weight and the long-term goal of becoming a marathoner. After my sister-in-law, Andria, completed her first marathon in January, she inspired lots of her family (including me) to complete our own marathons. And so the newest adventure of my life begins! :)

I've never been a runner or an athlete of any kind- not even close. Throughout my academic life I was always the one couped up in my room, studying, and I made stellar grades. I ate my mom's amazing cooking, gained weight, and never made the time to exercise. Essentially, it's caught up with me now, and I'm changing my habits.

So far I've been running 2 miles a day about 4-6 days a week, around the track at the gym. It's been going well, and I've really enjoyed it - something I never thought I would say about exercise! I started out just running in my old sneakers, the same shoes I wore everyday to class. I knew the shoes were totally inadequate for running, and I was at the point where I needed new everyday sneakers anyway. So, when A and C came down to visit this past weekend, we finally went shoe shopping! Andria had found a great running store in OKC, 'The Runner', so we basically went up there and dropped a couple hundred dollars on all kinds of goodies. :) Bobby picked out a pair of Asics and I got a pair of New Balance 817 with phantom liner. They're motion control sneakers, because I found out that I'm a severe pronator. (Kenny, too bad we have that in common!) We also bought some clothing, and, best of all, Bobby bought a Garmin 205 for us to share - a very awesome toy that I'll let him tell you more about.

When we got the shoes I had the feeling that I was like Harry Potter, buying supplies for wizard school. He had to get a proper magic wand, so he went to the best store and spoke with the owner. On all the walls was a huge selection of many kinds of wands, and the owner picked one out that he thought might work. Harry held the wand, said a spell, and the wand went totally haywire! It flew around the room, made a mess, broke things - it wasn't the right 'fit' for Harry. The next wand, though, was perfect. It felt right when he held it, and would turn out to be a great companion for him on his adventures. This was how it felt to put on my new shoes - they were a fantastic fit and made my feet really happy! The guy who helped me at the store was great, he let me try on three or four pairs and let me run around outside in them to get a feel for each one. Anyway, I chose the New Balance after some careful consideration, and now that I've run in them a few times I'm even more happy with them. :)

Over the weekend I also bought two pairs of sneakers at Rack Room Shoes for everyday use...so basically I bought more sneakers over this past weekend than over the past year! Needless to say, now that I'm a runner I'm taking a much greater interest in shoes. Andria and I also did some bra shopping, but that's a whole other story that I'll cover in a later blog. Right now it's time to do some homework.

Thanks for reading!
Hayley