HCA 8K 2015

Saturday November 14th I ran the HCA 8K which is part of the Richmond Marathon. I have run the half marathon 4 times, but with so much going on at work, I knew I would not have the time to dedicate to training for a half. I barely had time to train for the 8K. Being all ambitious, I even made a training plan back in September since I had slacked of once again and I couldn't even keep up with that.

Wave 1??? Aww crap. I guess that's what I get for not training.

My athletic supporter! Our squinty eyes tell you just how exhausted we were.

Even with the little training I did manage to complete, I finished the 8K in 50 minutes 48 seconds.

Boom. Drop glitter.

I'm awesome. Just kidding.

True, I ran the whole time with a side cramp and was breathing like I was in labor but I did it! I had a good laugh when I saw the photos and saw how I was smiling as I crossed the finish line.

Big smile cause I knew I did pretty darn good ;-)

It was a great morning for a  race and all in all, I had a good time, but there was a dark cloud hovering just on the horizon.

The terrorist attacks in France really got to me on Friday night. I did not realize what was going on since I was at the mall with my parents and then took B back to their house for the night. When I got there, dad had the TV on and was watching what was happening.

I am so sad and tired of people harming and killing other people in the name of whatever they believe. So what if someone believes something different from you? It makes the world a more interesting place. Why can't people just live and let live? Sometimes I feel like we are back in the freaking middle ages.


I try to keep hoping that some day, there will be total peace in this world.

While I was running back towards the finish, the sun was in our faces. I happened to look up and see this beautiful, classic diamond shaped kite. It was yellow and someone was flying it from the roof of their building. There was a tree between the kite and me. Most of it's leaves had fallen off so I could see the kite on the other side of the branches, the sun shining across a cloudless sky. The sight of it made me smile. Despite the evil in this world, there is still so much beauty.

Urbanna Oyster Festival 2015

This picture starts off the post because it started off my weekend and it's one of my most favorite mugs ever. 

I took Friday off of work because it was the annual Urbanna Oyster Festival! My first experience of this Virginia tradition took place last year, and it was fun, but this year was much more fun. Mostly because my hubby got to go this time and B was a year older and he was much easier to deal with all day. While he still takes a daily nap, we knew he wouldn't take one today so we just powered through.

About 70,000 people attend this festival in tiny Urbanna, Virginia every year. It takes place the first Friday and Saturday of November. We go on Friday because it is the less crowded day. The weather this year was AMAZING! It was a record high in the 80's! I was super happy to walk around in flip flops all day.

B got to experience his first pony ride! He did great and held on tight.

Virginia is for Lovers! 

There is so much here. Lots of vendors and lots of food! I do wish there were more local vendors. They have a fair amount of food vendors that are the ones you see at the state fair and sell you one corn dog for $5. We found the Lions Club stand that was selling yummy food for a fair price and it all goes to charity. There are also some food vendors that are local which was nice. Always try to hit those up.

There are quite a few other vendors selling the same odd things...like weird puppets that look mass produced in a back room in Mexico and those funky hippy/poncho hoodie things that all the stoners wore in the 90's. I'd really like to see more home made vendors. I bought 2 Christmas ornaments: one was a shell made to look like a snowman with a Santa hat on that was made from a Steelers pattern and one that was an oyster shell that looked like a beach and had a little sign in the sand that said "Urbanna". I tried to convince dad to get the dried out crab wearing a Santa hat but he wouldn't go for it. 

They also had a stage with different bands. B hopped out of the stroller, grabbed 2 sticks and took a dance break! This kid LOVES to dance. I have no idea where he gets it from. 

Eventually we made it down to the harbor where our friends had their boats docked. This was probably the most fun. The festival is big and it is nice to have a home base where you can sit, relax and drink a beer. I loved boat hopping. 

Dad and I continued our Jell-O shot tradition we started last year! Thanks Marsha for bringing those!

Uncle Rusty, Michelle, Me, Mom

Our buddies who are hysterical! Love hanging out with them. Also great because B has so many people watching out for him and mama can take a break.

My little captain! Seriously, how great is this picture? I had to take about 10 pictures before I got this one, but it is perfect.

Oh heeeeey! Just pretending to drive this yacht the size of a house!

Before we left we went over to another marina and found another friend who was there on a boat he bought that he is fixing up and re-selling. He does this with everything. There is nothing this guy won't sell. This boat was 51 feet long, had 3 state rooms (bedrooms) and a head (bathroom). There were 2 seating areas with tables and benches. I could seriously get used to that. I don't know if I would ever want to own a boat like that, but it would be hella fun to go out on it once in awhile.

See? It was huge. (That's what she said.) Apparently it was owned by a the owner of the Redskins at one point.

I greatly enjoyed spending the day with my man and family. It was too pretty of a day to be stuck at work, so I was happy to off. This has felt like the longest weekend ever and I've loved it. 

He finally crashed when he decided to head back to the car. He was such a trooper. We are so blessed that we have such a smart, easy going kid.


http://www.urbannaoysterfestival.com/

Halloween 2015

First off, I went running for the first time today in over a week. It hurt.

I also went and got a massage last week and the lady had to work knots out of my legs. How do you get knots in your calves?? I knew I wasn't crazy and that there was a reason why my legs ache every day when I get home from work...my plan is to start trying to get some pilates in at some point during my day and convincing the hubs to rub my legs every once in awhile-and by that I mean every other day (lol).

Last week was CrAzY. I just have to say that I have a whole new level of respect for my mom. She made all my Halloween costumes through the years and not only were they amazing, I have no idea how she got them done. I decided to make B's costume this year. (I feel like I have a lot to live up to!) and since I don't have a sowing machine and never really learned how to use one anyways, I had to sow the whole thing by hand. I decided I wanted him to be Toothless, the black dragon from How To Train Your Dragon. I made all the pieces and parts and attached them to a black hoodie. It turned out great!!! I was pretty proud of it. The whole thing also had to be finished in time for him to wear it to daycare on Friday. Ahh!!

In case you didn't know, this is Toothless. And if you haven't seen the movie, you should.

 

 

image source

This was my little Toothless!

 

 

I had it done in time for the party at daycare! 

And then made some last minute additions for a Saturday morning dress up.

He did much better Trick or Treating this year. He had fun saying "Trick or Treat!" and opening his bag. It was so fun to watch. We made it to a good amount of houses and then ran home to hand out candy. He was tired and slept in, even with the time change. (So thankful for the time change!! I love having an extra hour to sleep before having to get up for work.)  Hopefully we can get another year out of Toothless. He was a hit. 

We also carved out pumpkin at 5pm on Saturday cause that's how we roll. 

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!