playin' tourist

My parents were in Richmond this weekend to visit my grandparents. That meant Dad and I had time to do some touristy stuff, too.

Sunday afternoon we went for a canal ride in downtown Richmond.




Then we drove to Charlottesville and went up to Carter's Mountain so Dad could see the view, and we had peach cider.



After that we headed downtown and walked around the old Albemarle Courthouse (I guess it's still a courthouse?, but part of the building is old).



Next to the courthouse is a statue of a guy on a horse, and Dad was pretty pleased to discover it was Stonewall Jackson.



We wandered all over the downtown mall, and then went to dinner by UVA. That's where I spotted a pistachio shell!



We finished the night by swimming in the pool at my apartment. Monday he did more touristy stuff (Montpelier, winery, etc.) while I worked. Now my parents are back home, but I will see them again next week when I head to Santa Fe...

Camping!

When I was a kid my grandparents in New Mexico used to take my brother and me camping a lot. I didn't always appreciate it, what with all the bugs and no shower for days at a time, but I still have fond memories overall. Other than my college orientation when I spent one night in a tent and another night under the stars (I went to a "granola-y" school), I haven't been camping in several years. Until this past weekend.

Sunday Josh and I loaded up my car (and boy was it loaded) and headed to the mountains. After our first choice of campgrounds was full (I'd checked out a book at the library with Virginia camping spots) we drove to Todd Lake, in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests (why doesn't TJ get a first name?). I think it was a great spot for our first camping experience. We had a picnic table, fire pit, tent pad (which was not padded, just a flattened area of dirt), and water pump just across the road. And one of the best parts, the camp ground had flushing toilets and hot showers!


After getting the tent set up we walked over to the lake, which was pretty small, and then hiked the four-mile Trimble Mountain trail. Pretty much the whole loop was uphill (he he). We sang to keep potential bears away, starting with patriotic songs for the 4th of July and ending with Disney tunes and Josh scatting when we couldn't come up with anything else to sing. Josh was quite the task master and forced us to sing everything to an uptempo marching beat (which worked well for the patriotic songs but required some artistic license for the Disney tunes) in order to keep moving up the mountain.


Once the hike was over we were more than ready for a swim, so we put on our suits and went back to the lake for a dip. Then we read on the sandy beach (in the shade) for a while. By then we were getting hungry so we went back to camp, took showers, and made dinner. My Aunt Judy lent us her camping stove, and with it we cooked hot dogs, beans, and green beans. Then we had to eat the beans out of the pot and cut Sobe bottles to make cups for the green beans because we forgot to bring the paper plates and plastic ware we'd set aside (doh!). It worked though.


After dinner we played Yahtzee, then we made a fire and roasted marshmallows. I love roasted marshmallows.

We slept okay, considering the raised alertness to scary forest predators and the hard ground (blankets don't cut it for padding, I'm getting a sleeping pad next time). I ended up sleeping in quite a bit in the morning, which wasn't my original intent because I looked forward to sitting outside reading. Oh well. When we finally got up we packed up the tent and then made breakfast: fancy scrambled eggs (fancy because they included onion, green pepper, cheese, and a little steak), bananas, and juice. Once again we ate right out of the skillet. After dishes and packing up the rest of camp, we were gone by 11:30.

So yes, we only camped one night, but it's a start, and hopefully we can go again this season.

Since we still had lots of our holiday from work left, we drove over to the Luray Caverns. There was a long line in the hot sun, but we endured and toured the place, including the history and car museums that came with our admission tickets to the caverns. Then we took Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Forest most of the way back home.




There were no fireworks, but it was a great 4th of July weekend.

whirlwind fun

Last Friday after work Josh and I drove to Richmond to celebrate Grandma's birthday with my family.

Saturday we met up with Josh's step dad and step brother at the beach in Delaware. We ate fried chicken, lay in the sun (shade actually, thanks to an umbrella and clouds), swam, and even did a little boogie boarding. Then Josh and I went to his grandparents house near Bethany Beach for a big surprise party for his grandma's birthday (big weekend for grandmas...). All four of her children showed up from distant states, and she had no clue! After hanging with his family and eating Chinese takeout, Josh and I went over to the boardwalk Saturday evening to visit a couple touristy shops and to make our annual trip to the arcade, where we earned lots of tickets and spent them all on temporary tattoos.

Sunday morning was a big family breakfast and then lots and lots of swimming at the pool with Josh's half sisters. There was also lots of jumping into the pool, which I haven't really done in a long time. It was lots of fun. Sunday afternoon was the official birthday party, so we endured the 97 degree weather to enjoy food and cake and Josh's grandpa's homemade summer tea. After a little more hanging out inside with air conditioning, Josh and I finally had to hit the road and drive back to Charlottesville, with a stop in northern Virginia for dinner.

Fun times.

crazy weather

Summertime around here often involves short thunderstorms in the afternoon. It clouds up, rain beats down for about ten or twenty minutes, and then the rain goes away and sometimes the sky goes on and clears up. So when a storm hit yesterday at 5pm it didn't seem out of the ordinary (except that usually the storms happen a little earlier and it's dry by the time I head to my car after work). It clouded up, rain beat down, and the power even flickered. Then the rain stopped.

But as I started to drive away from work the storm's effects quickly became clear. Debris covered the road. Trees were broken all over the place. Traffic backed up.

I was trying to get across town to pick Josh up from work and take him to get his car at the auto shop. The ride should have taken about 25 minutes in rush hour traffic. It took an hour and twenty minutes.

I have never seen anything like what this storm did to Charlottesville. I've never experienced a tornado or hurricane or anything like that, but this storm gave me a little idea of what those must be like. Most of the city lost power. Traffic lights went out right at rush hour. Emergency vehicles kept trying to weave through traffic. I saw a giant tree that had fallen over, its muddy roots vertical in the air and its leafy top resting on a house. At one point they directed my line of traffic through a parking lot because a tree was still on the power lines over the street and broken lines lay in the road.

Up where Josh was things weren't as bad. I was unwilling to hop back in the car and head into town after nearly an hour and a half, so we stopped in a shopping center to eat and get him a new phone at the Verizon store. I didn't get home until 10pm, and power was still out when I went to bed.

The whole thing was crazy.

Monster, I say

This morning I opened my door to head off to work and a monster bug greated me. It was the biggest dragon fly I've ever seen in my whole life. Right there at my doorstep. Obviously I immediately shut the door. I had to shoo it with a broom because I wasn't willing to open the door wide enough for me to step out, but slipping the broom through the crack in the door was okay. I mean, I couldn't have that thing getting inside. Look how giant it was (and keep in mind that this photo was taken with a phone, through a crack in the door, and from high above because I wasn't going to get down close to it).

summertiiiiiimmmmmeeee

It's summer y'all. And warm. And I'm lovin' it. Slowly but surely I think I am acclimating to the humid south (er, east/southish?). The key is not to move too much. If I move a lot I'm still a giant sweat ball. Anyway...

Friday night Josh and I went for another bike ride. We rode the trail by the river a little bit, then headed toward the downtown mall. We parked our bikes and walked around a lot, and on our walk we came upon a man giving a concert from a garage on the street. It was awesome. Then we ate Chinese food and had the nice little outdoor patio to ourselves. I was a little creeped out by the ride home in the dark, but Josh was prepared and got us both headlamps and flashing red lights to wear on the back of our shorts. We looked like total nerds, but "safety first!"

Yesterday everyone met at my grandparents' house in Richmond for Father's Day lunch. After that we played in the sprinkler with little Bobby, and later that afternoon at my aunt's house we played with him again in a wading pool. I also played lots of Pictionary.

This evening after work I came back to my grandparents' house and sat out on the front porch to work a crossword puzzle, eat dinner, and read a book.

Ahh, summertime.

Mason & Josh

Last night I picked Josh up after work and we hurried over to Richmond to hear Mason Jennings and Josh Ritter play a concert at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. As you probably know, Josh Ritter is my favorite, and this was the fourth time I've seen him. I also enjoy Mason Jennings, and I saw him play once in college.



Josh Ritter. Oh how I love him.

Josh (not Ritter) came with me to the same show last year, and while he's an excellent sport he's decided Josh Ritter isn't really his thing. He agreed to come again this year, for my sake, and while he still wasn't thrilled with the music, I will go ahead and declare that we both had a good time. The weather was beautiful, the crowd was friendly, and the music made me smile.


Josh may not like the music, but he sure looked the part...

bicylcle riding redemption

Yesterday evening Josh and I went for another bike ride, but this time I planned it to avoid all traffic. Turns out there is this really great trail that goes along the Rivanna River here in town, so we rode to a park and picked that up. The trail is only about 3 miles long, so we also rode around some residential areas with cute old houses. It was a really fun bike ride. There was lots of debris from a major rain storm the day before, and at one point we even had to stop and pass our bikes to each other under a downed tree, but that just made the ride seem more adventurous.

We ended the ride with a dip in the pool at my apartment. I look forward to more rides and swimming this summer.

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was excellent.

Friday after work Josh and I headed east to his grandparents' house. They live there all the time but it felt like a vacation home to me. I stayed in a cute little room that reminded me of a B&B, and they have a big screened in porch with an assortment of rocking chairs, swings, and couches to sit on. The porch also overlooks a pond. So Saturday I woke up early (without an alarm) and sat on the porch to read. Then I helped run a couple of errands before we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast. After than Josh and I loaded up the kayak and headed down the road to the Piankatank River. I ended up with blisters on my thumbs, but it was still a good time. When we got back to the house we ate lunch and took naps. After my nap I read on the porch while Josh went fishing at the pond. For dinner we sat on the porch and had barbecued chicken and corn, and that night we all played Quiddler.

Sunday Josh's grandpa gave the sermon at church for their special Memorial Day service. He wore his Navy uniform (he was a rear admiral and chaplain) and other men in the church wore their uniforms, and the service ended with a bugler and bagpipes. After church there was a cookout back at the house, and once all the food was consumed and everyone left I took a requisite nap. Then I went with Josh to the pond to sit in the boat while he fished. We rounded out the night eating leftovers and watching TV.

Monday we had a big homemade breakfast, then Josh's aunt and her boyfriend came over to go kayaking with us again. The sun was shining, the water was refreshing, and my blisters didn't bother me too much. (Also, I'll be honest, Josh and I were in the same kayak so if my hands hurt he took up the slack and paddled me around.) We found a teeny-tiny piece of beach and got out of the boats to swim and dig our toes in the sand. Overall I'm told we kayaked 5.25 miles that day. When we got back to the house we ate a late lunch, and then Josh and I took naps before packing up and heading back to Charlottesville.

The weekend was a really great mini-vacation.

I (don't really) want to ride my bicycle.

I don't own a bike. Unless you count my old bike that's still in my parents' garage in Santa Fe. I do, however, still have my helmet with me. Because, you know, a bike might come along and I need to be prepared. And in fact, a bike has come along! Josh's grandma is lending me hers. It's not a "grandma bike" though, don't worry. (Well, except maybe for the side mirror attached to the handle bar, but if that makes it a grandma bike I'm really okay with it.) Tuesday Josh and I went for a bike ride, but I didn't like it too much. Sure, it was fun to ride (he kept saying gleefully "isn't this better than running!"), but it was also very scary. We were riding in town, and therefore on streets and in traffic. I never did that growing up. The only time I've ridden in traffic like that was once on a bike tour in Germany, and when a bus pulled over and I should have stopped but freaked out about losing my tour group and went anyway, a busload of people yelled at me in German. Okay, maybe not a busload, but one guy definitely yelled. Anyway, the point is that riding with cars scares me. And it's bad enough huffing and puffing up a hill on a bike, why add the extra threat that if you don't hurry that car trying to turn might run you over? It's all too much.

tidbits

My mouth is coming along quite nicely! I still have some unsightly sutures in there, but unless I smile quite creepily, no one can see them. Thursday I have my check-up and they'll remove whatever is left.

I'm trying to figure out what I should run next. I need a running goal to help me actually work out regularly. Apparently I was mistaken by a lady at work who thought I was addicted to exercise. I'm not, but I can commit to following a schedule. I'm thinking about another half marathon at the end of August. That would give me the summer to train (at an intermediate level instead of beginners like the last half marathon), and I'd be done with the big time commitment in time for school to start in September.

I don't watch LOST. So I don't care about the series finale! But I'm really loving the new NBC show Parenthood.

I had an African violet back when I lived in Raleigh, but that didn't really work out. I'm trying to have plants again, and so far things are going much better. I was given some little baby spider plants several months ago and after planting them and giving them plenty of sun and water I have lots of baby spider plants of my own! I haven't decided if I want to pot or, uh, "prune" them, so in the meantime I've got some crazy long sprouts going on. I would take a picture to show you but I accidentally vacuumed up a couple of the plant's leaves once and I'm embarrassed to show you their tips. Anyway...I also have a beautiful orchid that Josh gave me for my birthday. I love orchids and have wanted one for a very long time, and I finally have one! He got one with a tag that says all I have to do is give it three ice cubes once a week to water it, and so far so good. Next up, I want a cute little jade plant.

Last week I went on a work field trip to Poplar Forest. That was Jefferson's other house, his Bedford County estate. It's still sort of in the reconstruction faze and isn't completely finished inside and furnished, but it's still pretty cool. The yard was filled with really annoying gnats, but the house was neat and worth the trip to Lynchburg.

gross fest

Friday I took off of work so I could go to Richmond and have some good ole' oral surgery. No biggy really, just a little gum graft. But, you know, surgery. I was awake for the whole thing but the doctor's office was great because they gave me a blanket and an ipod to listen to, plus some dark glasses. So I snuggled up, put the ipod on shuffle, closed my eyes, and tuned out with my mouth wide open. A little over an hour later I was on my way back to my grandparents' house, where I proceeded to take a five and a half hour nap. It hasn't been too bad, and luckily I haven't had any pain at all. But the worst part? Looking in my mouth completely grosses me out. It's disgusting. Grandpa says it looks just fine, but he's a doctor so he can't appreciate how disgusting the whole thing is. And even if I'm not looking at my mouth in the mirror, just the thought of what's in my mouth grosses me out. So it's best if I don't think about it.

Montalto Challenge, WITH PICTURES!

Turns out Josh is a miracle worker and he rescued my deleted photos! I know how disappointed you all were to not see pictures of sweaty runners, so you can thank him when you get a chance. And here we go!

At the bottom of the mountain waiting to start. Notice all the trees. The lower trail part was very woodsy.


By the time we got up to Montalto it wasn't woodsy anymore. If you think this looks like a pleasant hill, just realize those lines are all switchbacks. I think if you zoom in you can see a couple walking.


Josh took this one while still running.


I came in 65th, see?


Bagpipes greeted us at the top.


Swwweeeeeaaaatttttyyyy


TJ was lookin' pretty sweaty, too.


See that white building? That's Monticello.


There I am in my brown race shirt with all the winners. Because I came in second in my age group, remember?


Hooray for a successful Montalto Challenge!

Montalto Challenge

Well I went through with the crazy challenge, and this morning I ran a 5k up a mountain. Josh ran up, too. The race is put on by Monticello here in Charlottesville and starts at the bottom of the Saunders-Monticello trail and continues all the way up Montalto. They say we rose in elevation by almost 900 feet, and when we reached the top we looked out over Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was beautiful, and definitely challenging. I've run up the Saunders-Monticello trail a few times before and this time I did it in a minute less than I'd ever done it before. But after the trail came the really steep and winding road up Montalto, and unfortunately I had to take several breaks and walk up the extra steep parts. But just about everybody around me was also taking walking breaks. It was intense. I didn't quite make my time goal, but I think my goal was unrealistic. I came in 65th out of 122, but get this...

I came in second in my age group!!! They called my name in the awards ceremony and I got a prize and everything! So that is very exciting.

You know what is decidedly not exciting? The fact that I came home and proceeded to delete all the wonderful photos we'd taken. I thought there were duplicates so I deleted the second ones, but turns out there weren't really duplicates and I deleted all but two. Here they are:





Photos you do not get to see, because they no longer exist, include before and after photos with two co-workers who also ran, a shot up at Montalto to show you how high it is, a shot looking over and down at Monticello, Josh and me extra sweaty at the top, the bagpipe players who provided entertainment atop the mountain, and my Thomas Jefferson temporary tattoo that was bleeding ink down my sweaty arm by the end. Hopefully I can get some of the photos my co-workers took, but in the meantime I suggest you check out the photos from last year's race so you can get an idea about what it was like. And if I run next year you can be sure I'll be extra careful with the pictures I take.

Update: The pictures were recovered and you can see them in this post. You can also read my post about the 2011 challenge here, 2012 here, 2013 (my PR!) here, and 2014 here.

Crabtree Falls

This morning Josh and I went for a hike to Crabtree Falls in Nelson County. We live near mountains now, so we figured we should go check them out. Apparently Crabtree Falls is the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi. Basically the entire 1.7 mile hike is up the mountain by the falls, so every time I thought we must be at the top of the falls we'd hike some more and find out I was wrong, the falls were still there. It was pretty cool. Then we kept walking another mile or so along the stream at the top. Some hikers passing us said they'd just seen a snake, but luckily it left before I had to see it. We also made sure to talk and sing so as to scare away any potential bear visitors. That might be what caused my nap-time dream about bears this afternoon.

still running

Before I ran the half marathon I started to get worried about what I would do after the half marathon. Would I stop running? Would I sit around all the time and get fat? Would I get depressed because I didn't have a regular running schedule anymore? Or, conversely, would I start training for a full marathon?

Well, running the half marathon let me know that I don't want to start training for a full one. But obviously I will still run. I was silly to worry.

Right now I'm training for a crazy challenge that I don't want to say too much about just yet in case I wimp out and don't do it, but hopefully I will do it and you'll get to hear more later. That also means hopefully whatever feels wrong with my left leg will go away soon. I'm taking a few days off, so hopefully that will fix it.

Also, totally unrelated to running, I meant to blog earlier in the week about what I did last weekend because it was lots of fun, but I'll just say that Josh and I went to the Kiwanis pancake breakfast and then watched the Dogwood Festival Parade, and while the parade was nothing spectacular, it was still lots of fun to watch. So there you go.

13.1

This morning Josh and I ran the Charlottesville Half Marathon! Looking back I think "ahhh, that was awesome!" but there were definitely points when running that I thought "I'm never going to run a full marathon" or "oh dear goodness, I might have to stop and walk." But I didn't stop to walk. And I did way better than I thought I would! My goal was to finish under 2 hours and 10 minutes (basically my usual 10 minute mile), but I finished at 1 hour 57 minutes!!! That is very exciting. Overall I placed 399 (out of 1077).

There were points when I looked around and enjoyed the scenery, struggled with a cramp, had to pee, passed several people at a time, and was passed by several people at a time. There were some serious hills, but Charlottesville is full of hills and I've been training here, so it turned out okay. Josh took off and left me just before the halfway point, but I caught up with him at the end (until he sprinted through the finish line), and he finished 390th.

My legs are sore and I spent the rest of the day lounging about and napping, but I enjoyed it and will probably try to run more half marathons and shorter races in the future.


6:30am and ready to go!


Lookin' good at mile 1. (Notice a similar picture wasn't taken at, say, mile 9.)


Josh running, I think between miles 1 and 2.


See little me waving? About to hit the turnaround point halfway through.


Josh's Grandma came to see us finish! Look how cute they are!


We did it!

thank goodness

Dad got to leave the hospital today! They finally (two weeks later) got all the fluid from outside his lungs drained, and they think he's good to go and the fluid shouldn't build up again. Now he's home, and they say he can even head back to the gym next week!

half marathon countdown

Well, I've trained for thirteen weeks, and tomorrow is the big day! Hopefully it won't rain. Hopefully I won't die. Hopefully I'll feel okay about my time.

Wish me luck!

thanks, friend

Received in the [e]mail today:

thoughts and prayers please

Monday my Dad had surgery to get fluid out of his chest. Three liters of fluid, to be exact. He's still in the hospital, waiting for drainage to stop so they can take out his chest tube and let him go home. We still don't have a diagnosis for why his chest is creating so much fluid in the first place. So keep him in your thoughts and prayers please.

three cheers for warm weather!

Today I ran twelve miles (whew!), slapped on a whale tattoo, bought some books (and books on tape) at the library book sale, and headed to Richmond to hang out on the porch with family and dye eggs.

Pretty good day, I'd say.

bean pie

Today I ate some pinto bean pie at work, but I thought it was pecan pie because that's what I was told.

Happy April Fools Day to me.

(It still tasted pretty good.)

Monument Avenue 10k

Yesterday I ran my first race ever. With only about 37,000 other people. And a temperature in the 30s.

But it was great! I've been around Richmond for a few years now, but I've never even gone to watch the Monument Avenue 10k. So not only was it my first run, but it was my first time seeing all the costumes, bands, cheerleaders, and friendly spectators. I really made an effort to enjoy the race, so I said things to myself like "look at that adorable bulldog on the sidewalk!" or "I'm so happy there is a string band playing on that porch!" or "hello Uncle Stonewall!" when I passed the Stonewall Jackson monument.


Check out the running dinosaur shirts Josh and I painted!


Celebrating with a post-run beer at Capital Ale House

My goal was to finish in less that 60 minutes, which I did (just barely). However, the crowd was so huge in the beginning (I heard there were 1,500 in my wave) that I didn't make a serious effort to zoom around people and get ahead, I just went with the flow. Now that I've seen my results and I know I came in around 10,200th place (which, hey, was still in the top third), I'm itching to try again and do better.

ten miles plus!

Yesterday afternoon Josh and I set out for our ten mile run but it didn't really work out and instead turned into a lovely spring walk. (Not a ten mile walk, however.) This morning I set out on my own, and I succeeded at the ten miles! It's kind of crazy how far you can get in a small city in ten miles. There was an unfortunate period where I made a wrong turn and ran several blocks in the wrong direction and had to double back. I tried to compensate by ending the run sooner, but it still turns out I ran ten and a half miles. Before today the farthest I'd ever run was eight miles, so this is pretty exciting.

It was a disaster!

Yesterday I went to Northern Virginia to visit my new grad school for the first time. I was supposed to be there at 9:30am, so to be on the safe side I left my apartment at 6:30am. Or at least I tried to, before I locked my keys in my car. With the engine on.

It was still dark out. My purse and phone were already in the car. I was stuck. So I found another apartment with lights on and knocked on the stranger's door. Luckily the guy who answered was fully dressed. At 6:30 in the morning. He let me use his phone and he had the AAA number, so that was great. Then he left for work and I waited outside until 7:45 for the AAA guy to show up. Yesterday's high was in the upper 60s, and I was ready for it. But the temperature from 6:30-7:45? Not so high. By the time the AAA guy arrived I was a popsicle. When he handed me a pen to sign on the line I dropped it because my hands were numb. But at least I got into my car (which, by the way, was an inferno because I'd turned the heat up before the door locked).

Then I high-tailed it for NoVa and arrived by 10:10, and the rest of the day turned out much better than the morning.

time flies

Today was my one year anniversary at my (not-new-anymore) job. This is the longest-running full-time position I've held. Not because I can't stay employed, mind you, but because my former jobs were mostly squeezed in around school semesters. And here's some news for you: I'm going back to school again! I've been accepted into a PhD program for history, so that's exciting. But this time I'm going to keep working at my current position full time, so the anniversaries can keep adding up.

more on the Vegas trip

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten to tell you about my Vegas trip.

Last weekend was Nascar weekend in Las Vegas, so naturally my family went and I flew out to join them. (As you may recall, we did the same thing last year.) It was pretty great.

My parents and Ryan drove in Wednesday afternoon and I flew in later that evening. Thursday I went for a two mile run around our hotel, and then we headed to the strip. We ate lunch at Mandalay Bay and visited the aquarium there. Then we went to MGM to see the lions and watch bartenders dance on the bar. We also went to New York New York where Ryan and I rode the roller coaster. Ryan bought me a pair of shoes for Christmas at the Planet Hollywood mall, and we saw the Nascar trucks parade down the strip. That night we saw the Lion King.


Dad with the Crown Royal (Matt Kenseth's) car in Mandalay Bay.

Friday we met up with my aunt and uncle (who also drove from New Mexico for Nascar) for a breakfast buffet, then went to the strip. First we visited Circus Circus and Ryan and I rode more rides, then we watched an acrobat do circus tricks. Next we visited the Bellagio and rode the new tram through City Center. Then it was time for a snack so we went downtown for shrimp cocktails. We may have visited some other stuff in there too, but I can't keep it all straight. We ate dinner at Margaritaville because my aunt and uncle wanted to see the lady slide out of the volcano into a giant beer glass. Crazy stuff happens in Vegas.


Ready to take a ride at Circus Circus.

Later that night Ryan and I went back to the strip (we were all staying at hotels off the strip, same as last time) and ended up hanging out at a bar in the MGM trying to win a signed Matt Kenseth jacket for Dad (Kenseth is his Nascar driver). We filled out lots of (free) drawing tickets and got a free hat and flashing button, but when they finally held the drawing at midnight some Canadian guy next to us won the jacket instead.


Parents at the Bellagio.

Saturday was the first race, which I went to with Dad, Ryan, and my uncle. It was delayed for 1.5 hours due to rain, and once the rain left and the race started it was windy and freezing, so not the best of times. For dinner we had Mexican at my aunt and uncles hotel, then went next door to our hotel and I won eighty bucks on a penny slot machine. I then proceeded to lose thirty of that on the same machine, but I came out with fifty dollar profit!

Sunday the guys and my aunt went to the race, and I went to breakfast with Mom. Then I ran eight miles for my half marathon training. After my shower Mom and I went back to the strip and visited the dolphins and tigers at the Mirage. We also walked around the Venetian, but then my poor feet were sore so we rested at a trendy bar back at the Mirage. We met up with the rest of the gang after their race was over for a steak dinner. Then Ryan and I headed back to the strip to watch the volcano erupt at the Mirage and live it up on our last night in Vegas.


I hope we do it again next year.

still in the snow

I'm more than ready for spring to hurry up and get here, but in the meantime there is still winter fun to be had. Today Josh and I met up with his aunt and cousin at Massanutten for two hours of snow tubing. There was lots of waiting involved (waiting to get up the moving sidewalk to the top of the hill, waiting in line, waiting for slow people to clear the lanes...), but we had a pretty good time. I went down sitting up, laying on my belly, spinning, and attached to Josh's tube. On my last run I spun around so much that when I reached the bottom and got up to walk away I was too dizzy and fell flat on my back. That was embarrassing.

Viva Las Vegas

I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas. I'll tell you more soon, but in the meantime please enjoy this gem:

No backing out.

Well, it's official and I am now registered and have paid my non-refundable fees for a half marathon AND a 10k. I've never run in a race or with a group of people before, but hey, go big or go home right? The 10k is a few weeks before the half marathon, and I figure that will be a good chance to see what this race-running is all about. Not that I plan to race, mind you. I just hope to finish without stopping and not be the last person across the line.

long time coming

Today I wore a t-shirt and shorts OUTSIDE. Josh and I ran 7.5 miles in Richmond along Monument Ave. and Patterson, and it was glorious to run a.) not on a treadmill, b.) with natural breezes, and c.) without freezing. It's been a long cold winter, and I'm ready for spring.

Pista-chee-o!

I had another sighting tonight! I was starting to worry because I haven't seen a pistachio shell in so long (they're buried under the snow maybe?), but I was pleasantly surprised to find one at the bottom of the stairs to my building.

AJ has asked for a post about Valentine's Day that includes a picture, so here we go.

I made Josh a pop-up card, and while you don't get the full effect in a still (and slightly fuzzy because it was taken with my phone) photo, I think you can still appreciate its awesomeness:



I like making Valentine's, and I like receiving flowers, but other than that we're not that into Valentine's Day. So we combined V-Day with Chinese New Years and had Chinese for lunch on Sunday. Then we went to a running store where he bought running shoes (I bought some new running shoes today, too). Because the half-marathon training is still in full swing.

looong weekend

Today will be the fifth day of my snow weekend (so far). Here is some of what I did:

Friday I straightened up my apartment and made a paper chain for Josh's birthday tree. I was going to (finally) take my Christmas tree down but decided it could stay up a little longer as a birthday tree.



It snowed all of Friday and Saturday. Saturday I made cran-orange scones for breakfast, and in the afternoon Josh and I went to the gym to run 6.5 miles. Then I made him meatloaf (his choice) and key lime pie for his birthday.

Sunday we dug our cars out of the snow. Then I took a nap. We went out for pizza for dinner and watched Zombieland. (Did you notice I didn't mention the Super Bowl?)

Since I didn't have work Monday I went to Richmond to visit my grandparents, which included a giant Indian lunch and a long nap. I don't have work today either, so who knows what this snow day will bring...

my week:

Monday- Worked all day.

Tuesday- Got to leave work at 3:30 because of snow.

Wednesday- Didn't have to be at work until noon because of snow.

Thursday- Worked all day, and then spent nearly two hours at the grocery store(s).

Friday- Don't have to go to work because of the snowpocalypse that is on the way to Charlottesville.

feelin' good

It snowed a few inches today, but that didn't stop me from hitting the gym and running six (!) miles. I think it's been about two years since I ran that far. So my training for the half marathon is still going strong, and today's run felt great.

Pie Day!

Tomorrow is National Pie Day, and that means today is National Pie Day (Observed) at work. There are four six beautiful home-made pies waiting for us to stuff our faces. I must admit I'm a slacker and didn't contribute a pie myself, but perhaps I'll bring one around March 14.

I like working here.

Let me tell you about my weekend, because it was pretty good and sent me all over the state. Friday night Josh and I joined my cousin in Richmond and played the game Munchkins. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I did eventually and even won a round.

Saturday night we went to Fredericksburg and had dinner with my friend Ryan and his wife plus their billions of kids. Then we went to an amateur MMA fight. Let me tell you, it was a little surreal. I don't watch fighting and I've sure never been to a live fight, so not only was the fighting itself new but it was located in what seemed like a barn at the tiny Fredericksburg fairgrounds on the edge of town. One finds quite an array of people at an event like that.

Sunday I headed up to Leesburg to visit with Uncle Richard. We went to lunch, then hung out and relaxed all day while it was rainy and cold outside. The next day after breakfast I headed to DC for the day. First I visited the American Indian Museum. I hadn't been there yet so it was neat to see the place, but I moved through the exhibits quickly and was most excited about lunch in their cafeteria. It cost eighteen bucks, but it was delicious.

Next I headed down the mall to the American History Museum, which I haven't visited since high school. I got a little frustrated with the place in the beginning, but once I escaped the big crowds and found some presidential and early history exhibits upstairs, I felt better. I finally left around five and headed home, making sure to stop by Ikea.

In other news, Operation: Train for a Half Marathon is under way. Today Josh and I ran two-and-a-half miles on our Day One. We also each tried out some fancy socks (Target fancy, not an actual sports store fancy), and while they were comfortable and all I'm not sure they were much better than my normal socks. We'll see.

change of pace

Notice how I haven't blogged in a while? That's because not much is going on around here. But I want to change that. So I'm going to train and run a half marathon. I haven't been running as much lately because I've been doing Josh's crazy stuff at the gym. But he's liking the half marathon idea, too. So, starting next week, I will run more. This will require dedication and buckets of sweat. It will also require drumming up the nerve to actually register for a race, because I've never done that before. And maybe it's crazy to start with a half marathon, but hopefully not too crazy. So wish me luck, and get ready for more blog posts about running.

2009 in Review

Here is a list (that is hopefully in order) of stuff that happened in 2009:


I fretted a lot over not having a job anymore and the daunting task of finding a new one.

I found a new one. And they accepted me! And it was actually my realistic "dream job"!

I went to Las Vegas for the first time and partied it up with my family.

Then I started my new job and commuted from Richmond to Charlottesville for five months.

Josh got a job in Charlottesville, too, and moved there before me.

But then his mom died, which is super sad. I was with him in Delaware for the funeral.

In June I visited Alaska for Allison and Sam's wedding. And saw moose and musk oxen.

I also visited Wisconsin for a workshop-type-thing.

I went back to Raleigh to see friends from grad school.

I finally stopped commuting and actually moved to Charlottesville in August.

Grandpa had a stroke, and my mom came to see him.

Then she came again right after that, with my dad. We did touristy stuff.

In October I went to Illinois for a conference.

And my trip got longer because I had to fly to New Mexico to see my dad, who didn't quite have a heart attack. After that he quit his job and I came back to Charlottesville.

I spent the holidays in Richmond, and my parents came again for Christmas.


It was a pretty full year I would say, with ups and downs.

Happy New Year everyone!

finally

Christmas went well. My parents came to visit, and I spent a week with them and the grandparents in Richmond.

I made another mosaic, which I gave to my mom. She's been wanting one since I started making them three years ago, so she says it's about time.

I don't think I'll be driving any time soon.

"Another Narrow Escape from Burying Alive"

At work I do a lot of historical research. Today I was looking through the microfilm of an 1849 Huntsville, Alabama newspaper when I came across the above headline. Obviously I stopped to read it.

The article begins: "Some four or five appalling cases of this sort have occurred at Cincinnati and St. Louis, lately, in the midst of the fearful rate of mortality from the scourge [cholera epidemic]."

It then tells the story of a man who "was seized with cholera" and died a few hours later. They put his body in a coffin for mourners to see but before the the funeral "the dead man rose from his coffin, to the great terror of those around, and walked out of his shroud." Then the story adds a quip about how the man sent his coffin back because he didn't need it anymore. It ends with this: "This is true, and it is another warning against too much haste in burials."

Indeed.

(The Democrat [Huntsville, Ala.], 22 Aug. 1849)