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/

Crawlin' Crab 5K

Last Saturday we were in Hampton, Va running the Crawlin' Crab 5K. The weather was iffy but turned out to be a beautiful day. It rained that night and it was super humid during the race so we were all soaked when it was over.

This race was extra fun because not only did C run it, but my friends Jess and Emily were in it as well. It was Jess's first race and Emily walked and pushed B. I ran the whole thing and even though I hadn't really been training I feel like I did really good. I came in at 32:28 and only walked at the water stop. That's only 2 minutes slower than my fastest 5K. Also this was a bit of a milestone race because it was Jess' first race and she is QUITTING SMOKING SO SHE CAN RUN BETTER!!! Now you're screwed Jess, you have to quit. I told you running is addicting.

I don't usually like out and back courses, but I really liked this one. It was quick and easy and I totally zoned out while running. It was just nice to see where you came from I guess and knowing how close you were to finishing.

We hung out at the post race party and it was a lot of fun. They moved it inside which was a change from the first year I ran it and was so much better. The AC felt great.  We ate our crab chowder and drank our free beer before heading back to the hotel to check out. It was a fun overnight trip.

Our one picture.

The battery in my phone decided to "bloat" and broke my phone, so we got like one picture, but I got a whole new phone for free today so it's all good.

I noticed that J & A made some changes to their races and I think the Virginia is for Lovers is done. This makes me a little sad because even though it was in February, I actually really liked that race. Even though they are getting rid of one, they are starting the Harbor Lights half and 5K in November and we are planning on running that as well. I'm so excited. I wish I was in half marathon shape but maybe next year. My knees just aren't what they used to be. I am also thinking of running the Surfin' Santa again in December. I did this the first year they had it and it was a 10 miler. Now it is a 5 miler and is at 5PM so when you run through the lights on the boardwalk, you will actually be able to see the lights! I think that would be a lot of fun. It feels awesome to be excited about running again after feeling like a bump on a log for so long. I got my race fever back!

Sometimes there just aren't enough rocks

"Sometimes I guess there just aren't enough rocks."-Forrest Gump

I watched this movie on Saturday. It is one of my all time favorites and I've loved it since I first saw it back in the 90's. I love how Forrest runs to ease his pain over Jenny and then when he feels better, he just runs for the sake of running. I used the quote that I did for this post because it comes from the scene where Jenny is throwing rocks at her father's old house because she is so mad. She throws them until there are no more and all she can do is fall down on the ground and cry. That is where I felt like I have been all week.

My grandmother passed away last Friday. She was 91 and had been in pain for some time so I am glad that she is at peace and in a better place. I've tried to be a support system for my family. It hasn't been easy and stress has been high. By Saturday night I had run out of rocks to throw. Relationships, any type of relationship in life, is hard. God never promised us life would be easy.

Tomorrow I have the Wicked 10K. I am looking forward to getting out of town with my husband and son and to running a race again. I have not trained, I'm not ready for it, but I know that I can do it. I'm hoping that by taking Forrest's approach I can let some of this stress and anger go, because it is only eating away at me. Just being happy and calm is what I enjoy in life so I hope that after tomorrow I can feel a little bit of mental freedom.