Quick Weekend Trip

We made a quick trip to Columbia, SC this weekend for a wedding of a friend I went to high school with. 

We stopped in DC on the way down and got to see the cherry blossoms! This has been on my to-do since we moved to DE, so I was happy to see them. 

We stopped at a little restaurant in southern VA for lunch and got BBQ and fried green tomatoes. It made us start to get excited for our summer in MS in a couple months! 

My friend got married in the LDS Columbia Temple, and it was so wonderful to be there to see and hear them be sealed for eternity.  I almost always cry at weddings, and this one was no exception. There is so much love and hope in the room when two people commit to spend their lives and futures together! This sealing was especially emotional for me, as it was the first one we have been to since Sloane died. There was one line that the sealer said that made me realize that although she is gone, she is engaged in doing really important things that are of eternal significance. I felt like she was there with us, and that was incredible. 

We stayed at a place called the Magnolia Lodge, a plantation house that was built in the 1850's. They rent out the rooms now, and it was quite the experience. The house was beautiful, although I did miss some of my more modern comforts. 

We had a few friends from Colorado who we stayed there with and went to the wedding with. It was so fun to get to see old friends and explore Columbia together! 

In the afternoon between the wedding and the reception that evening, we got some BBQ and ice cream. You always have to partake of the local cuisine! 

After the wedding, we had a bonfire and fireworks. While it was a quick trip, it was so worth the drive and I'm glad we made the effort to be there! 

New Orleans!

Josh and I have never been to New Orleans before, and neither had my friend Lauren. So, we decided what better way to spend a summer weekend than meeting up in this crazy city and exploring it together! Plane ticket was booked, hotel was booked, swamp tour was reserved, we were ready to go.

We show up at the airport to pick Lauren up and I get out to hug her, when she says, "I ran into an old friend we both know from college at the airport," then she yells across the street, "hey, do you want a ride?" At this point, I think it's a little strange that she would offer this person a ride without checking with me first, but I figure it's fine. Then I look across the street, and it's my beloved LUCY! Those rascals planned her surprise visit without me even having an inkling of an idea about it!

Still in shock! I was pretty much speechless. 

It was so fabulous to be with the girls again. We had lots of fun at BYU together, and now that we are spread out across the country, it was so good to reconnect! This definitely needs to be a regular event.

It was a very busy weekend!

Day One:

• Beignets

• Oak Alley Plantation

• Coop's Place for lunch: fried crawfish, gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp creole, duck quesadilla

• Jackson Square and Bourbon Street

Day Two:

• Swamp Tour, complete with gators, bugs, and wild hogs

• Fried Alligator and Catfish Po' Boy for lunch

• Trolley and Garden District  

• Softshell crab and oysters for dinner

Day Three:

• City Park

•  Paddle Boating 

• Saying good-bye  :(

Overall, I loved New Orleans! It's very unique and there's a lot to do. I'm sure this won't be the last time we make a trip down there...

Now I Know Why My Husband Calls Me Crazy

On Saturday, I ran in the Jalepeno Half Marathon in Ft. Worth, TX.
Now, I had been to Texas before, and I even went running there on one visit. But I am living in Mississippi for the summer and train in a very hilly national military park for every run, so I thought, "13.1 miles in Texas in the middle of the summer will be FINE!"

I was mistaken.

I had high hopes for this race: I was training at an 8:30/9:00 minute pace, so this was my goal for the race. I had been doing speed work one day/week and had seen improvements in my pace and times. I had been running in MS for a few weeks and had been out some very humid days (as well as in DE). I thought I would be FINE!

Again, I was mistaken.

The first 5 miles started out great, I was trying not to push myself too much and averaged about an 8:30 pace. I felt good, I was passing people, the course was very flat, and I thought "Yea, I got this."

^^All smiles and thumbs up between miles 3 and 4^^

I had a Gu at mile 4, followed by an excruciating side cramp at mile 5. I get cramps like this sometimes that aren't normal cramps that you can just run through and they go away. They are bent-over-in-pain-I-think-I'm-going-to-die cramps. I don't get them all the time, but of course on raceday, I did. The cramp bothered me for the next 3ish miles, and at this point, the sun was beating down and I was only about halfway done with the race. I fought the cramp and the heat the rest of the way to the finish line, stopping to walk more than I ever thought I would and more than my pride will allow me to admit, but I finished!

Please enjoy the following procession of pictures, in which my face tells quite a story (also note the jubilation on the runner's faces behind me, in contrast with my own face):

My goal started at finishing at 1:45, then after the cramp hit, it changed to 2:00, then after the heat got unbearable, it changed to just surviving and finishing. Needless to say, it was definitely not my best race or run, but I am grateful that I finished, didn't pass out, and didn't get injured. This just means the next race has to be that much better, right??

Results: 

Overall 304/867

Age Division 29/78 

10:51 pace; 2:22:13 time

Weather:

8am: 81 degrees, 62% humidity

9am: 84 degrees, 56% humidity

10am: 88 degrees, 53% humidity

After the race, Josh and I went to downtown Dallas with our friends and their kids that we were visiting. We rode in an old trolley, went to a park/splashpad that was built above a freeway, ate from a food truck, and had gelato. Despite the disappointment, frustration, pain, and heat of the race, it was a fabulously fun weekend!

Sweet Colorado

After Utah, we spent a week in Colorado. I was determined to make a fun adventure filled trip. This included hiking in Red Rocks...Josh had never been there before. 

Literally every person we walked by commented on Franklin's booties. Not only were they adorable, but they were practical and necessary because the poor pup burned his paws the week before. 

After hiking, we planned to camp on Cheyenne Mountain. As soon as we set the tent up, we saw these ominous clouds rolling in...

...quickly followed by 45 minutes of hail. It was insane. We waited it out in the tent, and as soon as there was a break, we headed to the nearest pet friendly Best Western, along with many other Jeep and motorcycle drivers. It wouldn't have been too bad if it wasn't still lightning and our tent didn't get wet on the inside. 

Piles of hail still left in the morning. 

The next morning we went rafting through the royal gorge! Josh took a waterproof disposable camera that has pictures yet to be developed...maybe they'll make their appearance on the blog one day...

This was the picture Josh wanted to make sure I put in here...it's Albert Pujols, who makes like $20 million/year or something crazy. And we were so close to him! 

It was about 100 degrees, but I was SO HAPPY. 

Our last hurrah in Colorado was hiking Bergen Peak. 

View of Denver...

Franklin discovered his love of the Rocky Mountains for the first time...good thing, or we might have had to get rid of him. (jk, Frank. )

Hubbah hubbah!