Mission Accomplished

This is where we were...

A beautiful shot of the Capitol at 7:00 AM Saturday morning as we were walking from the Metro stop at L'Enfant Plaza to the Mall.

It simply takes my breath away...we were blessed with the most beautiful morning...just look at that sky behind the Washington Monument. This is where the race began.

This is a shot of the National Building Museum as we came out of the Metro station Saturday afternoon. The runners met here to pick up their race packets & bibs and also to shop the expo that was going on there.

And this is why we were there...

And this is how we got there...

Michael and I after just finishing the 10 Miler.

My niece made this sign for me! She was holding it at the start as we took off! I love it and I love her!

This is our pre-race celebration at Peking Inn Gourmet in Falls Church, VA. This is Mike's FAVORITE restaurant. He hadn't been there in about 7 years. It was a wonderful evening of friends and family and fellowship.

And here's part of my support team...my little Bran! She was such a trooper this weekend as she had a very nasty cold with her! But she knows how important her role is to us at these events so she muddled through it!

And here are two more team members - Mom & Daddy. This was the first race they've participated in with us. My heart was completely satisfied, as I think theirs was, too.

There are very small occasions/events in my life that take place or have taken place that remind me just how loved I am by my family. It doesn't have to be a holiday with presents and cakes, but something as simple as a card after getting a great test score in a class I'm taking or a phone call to see how one of my kitties is doing after surgery. This weekend was one of those events. My parents, brother, niece and daughter gave up their entire weekend to be a support team for Michael and me. We dragged them from one end of DC to the other. We had everyone up Sunday morning at 4:45. We had everyone on the Metro at 6:20 AM. We had them hauling duffel bags and coolers of water and dry clothes. And we had lots and lots of laughter - and cheering - and "woo hoos" - and high fives - and "way to gos"... and love.

My family's not perfect. As a matter of fact, we're quite dysfunctional in our own way. But I wouldn't want to be a part of any other group of loved ones.

I continue to be prideful of the accomplishment Michael and I made this weekend. And we were blessed to have finished the race with good, personal times and injury free. And I'm also grateful to those who pledged money in this race as it was also a fundraiser for Michael and me in our attempt to reach our Relay for Life team goal of $700.00. Thanks to each of you - you do make a difference in the fight against cancer.

I suspect there will be at least one more posting regarding this event. I'm expecting more pictures from the three other cameras that were in play this weekend. So stay tuned, I may even have some pics of the Cherry Blossoms!

I'm Going Home

To the Cherry Blossoms...

The weekend's finally arrived and that means after work this evening we head out for the 5 hour drive home to Northern Virginia. Only this weekend's extra special! First, my husband is coming with me. Mike hasn't been back to DC since, I think, 2002 - he's in for a shock and in no way prepared enough. And second, this is the first in our little tri-fecta of sorts of races!

This weekend marks the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC and, in conjunction, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler! I have butterflies in my tummy...already...and the race isn't even until Sunday...yikes! But we are psyched, packed, have updated the iPods with appropriate "long run music" and are ready to go.

A full weekend is planned with family and friends. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel over the next 2 1/2 days and push our bodies beyond what they were EVER meant to do (Mike and I are "big blocks", remember?!).

Stay tuned for results, stories and, hopefully, awesome pictures!!

Knee Highs

It's been raining for forty days and forty nights here! Okay, well maybe not forty days and forty nights but it sure does FEEL that way!

I mean when it starts to look like your cattle are wearing old-man black socks - that's an indication that you've had too much rain! Thank God they don't have access to Birkenstock sandals!

I've Been Handcuffed To The Cappuccino Machine!

April Fools!
(Don't I wish...)

Oh The Irony Of This Photo...

A canine tethered to a fire hydrant...

Please, somebody handcuff me to the Cappuccino machine at Starbucks!

I Ate A Bean And I Liked It...

Deep fried string beans to be exact!

And of all places, my experience was in the cafeteria of the newly constructed Chatham County Hospital. No, I'm not in the hospital. I was there for a Business After Hours event held through our local chamber of commerce - the hospital was this months host.

Of course I was leery about eating "hospital food". I mean, we ALL know the reputation there. But then I remembered...wait, I live in the south! I think it'll be worth the risk!

And like Paula Deen says, "In the south, if we deep fry it and put butter on it, you can eat anything!"


Amen sista'! Amen!

We Have Lift Off!

I think all would agree that our maiden book club meeting was a success! There were 9 lovely ladies in attendance! I think that's a GREAT turnout!

We chatted about our likes and dislikes when it comes to books, agreed on what we didn't want to read as a group (can we say "romance novels") and put some guidelines in place so we, hopefully, won't be all over the board.

Here's our first selection..."Water for Elephants"

*Be careful book club members if you link to the site above. It includes VERY detailed info on the book and it may just spoil it for you!

We're allowing ourselves about a month for each read.

Excuse me while I grab my second cuppa', my favorite blanket and, oh yeah, a fat cat!