Orlando

At the end of February we traveled from Phoenix to Orlando for our annual Pro Athlete Outreach conference and just like in years past, it was wonderful!  It is so great to be able to reconnect with friends from around the league, and for the friends who are no longer in Carolina it is often our only chance to see them.  We were at the same hotel as last year so we were familiar with the area and hotel.

In addition to all of the great speakers and worship music (Dr. Tony Evans, Miles McPherson, Louie Giglio, and Aaron Lindsey) we got a fun little bonus in the form of our 18 month old godson and his parents!  The resort we were at (The Omni at Championsgate) had tons of open grassy areas, a 9 hole hole par-3 course, lazy river, kiddie pool, water slide etc.  So we got to watch the little guy go crazy with all the activities.  Living up north, he hadn't had much of a chance to be outside all winter so it was awesome for him to get out an run around.  I think his favorite was the lazy river, it was adorable to watch!

It was a pretty quick trip, just in and out for the conference but we did fit in a quick morning at Magic Kingdom, JJ and Mason got to play golf at Bay Hill, and one of the most unique experiences of my life...VIP treatment at a concert!

Our best friends are good friends with several of the guys from Needtobreathe and they just happened to be playing at House of Blues in Orlando while we were there. Life is all about who you know, right?! Needtobreathe is an amazing Christian folksy/rock group from South Carolina (so we love them even more).  They opened for T. Swift on her tour last year and now they are doing their own tour for they 4th album The Reckoning.)  So anyway, because of our friends (we are just moochers), we got the royal treatment at the concert and got to sit in an opera box on the right side directly above the stage.  It was such an awesome perspective because you could see what the band sees when they look out at the crowd...and the crowd was definitely in to it!  Not only did we get amazing seats, we got to go back stage after the show and party like rockstars...well, it was pretty tame so it was more like partying WITH a rockstar ;).  The guys were great we had so much fun getting to know them and because they live in Charleston, SC there is a good chance we will see them again this summer!

Ironically they played a show in Charlotte 4 days after, and they graciously set us up with amazing tickets.  We couldn't see them again after the show because we had to hurry home and finishing pack for the cruise, but the concert was amazing and it felt like a totally different show because this time we were out in the crowd.

Charlotte -> Nashville -> Charlotte

After being gone for 6 months, we finally made it back to Charlotte in early June. JJ had some "unofficial, player-run, organized team activities" (thank you NFL lockout) and I jumped at the excuse to join him and go back. JJ was there for 3 weeks, and I was there for 2, with a long weekend trip to Nashville (Long story short, the Camry was being stored at a family member's house while we were in Phoenix, but when JJ went to pick it up and drive it back to Charlotte the transmission went out and he had to leave it there to get fixed. It just so happened that the weekend the car was going to be ready was the weekend of CMA Fest).

In addition to their practices, a few of the players were invited to take batting practice at the Charlotte Knights game (triple-A team for the White Sox). JJ is still a baseball player at heart, so he jumped at the chance. He struggled in the beginning, but the Knights' coaches had some good comments and he ended up hitting one over their monster wall in left center. I have never seen him smile that big! (Side note: if you are looking for a fun inexpensive activity, try a minor league game! We have so much fun, and it doesn't cost nearly what the big league games cost.)

He's still got it!

In the middle of of Charlotte trip we spent a long weekend in Nashville for the Country Music Festival. It was 4 days of incredible concerts, with all the big names in country music. They actually turned it into a television special that airs August 7 on ABC. I will be watching to relive all the fun. I love live music, but I have never experienced anything like this. We are going to try and make this a tradition to go every year, so mark your calendars for next year and join us!

All of the performances were amazing, but my favorites were: Zac Brown Band, Josh Turner featuring Scotty McCreery, Dierks Bently, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Mirando Lambert and Taylor Swift. LOVE.

At CMA Fest in Nashville

After we got back to Charlotte, we realized how much we missed it and really felt like God was telling us it was time to go back. We hadn't planned on looking for a house to rent, but we talked with our realtor and she warned us there wasn't much available so we got started right away. Luckily for us, a beautiful house in the neighborhood we wanted had just gone on the market. It is a perfect fit for us and the goldens (and any guests who might come for a visit!) We are within walking distance of our favorite restaurants, wine bars, boutiques, sports bars, coffee shops, fro-yo, running trails, park and the YMCA. And even better we are 1/4 mile from one of our favorite friends and her bulldog Annie. Yay for puppy playdates!

COME VISIT!

The trip to Charlotte was a success, and I can't wait to be back there full time.

JJ Plans Date Night

My wonderful husband surprised me this week by planning our Monday date night. I love going to NBA games (mostly just the Suns, but I am learning to love the Bobcats) so JJ got us tickets to the Bobcats/Spurs game. The Spurs are huge rivals for the Suns and it is nearly impossible to get tickets to those games, so JJ was shocked he could get such good seats at the last minute.

Turns out it was a good night to go to the game. Sadly, not because the Bobcats won (they lost in the final minutes) but because of who was at the game. Michael Jordan is the majority owner of the team so he is at most games, but surprisingly hard to find. About half way through the first quarter everyone in the arena spotted him after he argued a call with one of the refs...so much for keeping a low profile.

In addition to an MJ spotting, there were two other seemingly famous folks at the game. A few people were trying to take pictures with them so that drew attention. We were sitting a few rows behind them so we couldn't see who they were at first, and to make things more difficult they were both wearing sunglasses (a clear sign of true celebrity...wearing sunglasses inside...at night). Good thing JJ has such good eyesight. He ID'd the guy as St. Louis' own, Nelly. We had to google him to figure out who the girl was. Luckily the gossip websites were up-to-date and informed us that Nelly and Ashanti were attending that night's Bobcats game...but just as friends. The fact that they didn't actually talk to each other the whole night and were on their phones most of the game would confirm that statement. Good for them. Everyone needs more friends. Even the princess of R&B.

Not the best shot, TMZ won't be buying my pics anytime soon

I have to admit, I felt a little out of touch with celeb-reality because I had to google Ashanti to figure out what songs she sings. That's the only reason know she is referred to as the princess of R&B. Still cool to see them.

Way to go JJ, successful date night!

Hurricane Theta

The effects of Hurricane Theta were felt starting Thursday afternoon, but it didn't make full landfall until Friday when the slowpoke of the group finally arrived. I know you must be enjoying the Weather Channel metaphor, but I can't take credit. That was all Robin.

Four of my favorite sorority sisters came to visit to catch up on girl talk and watch a football game, a nice balance if you ask me. Mackenzie, Robin, Emily, Leigh and I have started a semi-annual reunion schedule since we all graduated from TCU. So far we have been able to plan reunions around bachelorette parties, weddings, and TCU bowl games. This reunion was somewhat random, but it had been about 9 months since we were all together in Phoenix for the Fiesta Bowl.

After the whole crowd arrived on Friday night, we went out to dinner at Good Food on Montford, a swanky neighborhood tapas-inspired restaurant. JJ was living the life, sitting at a table surrounded by 5 beautiful women. After dinner, JJ was kind enough to drop us off downtown so we could re-live our bar hopping days of college. (This was a bit of a stretch for some of us, who are usually in bed by 11, but worth it for the fun factor). We started at Ri Ra, an Irish pub, where we were the youngest by 20 years. We took advantage of the many beers on tap, and then headed out to find the cool kids. JJ and I aren't really up on the Charlotte bar scene (or any bar scene for that matter) so I told the girls we were just going to have to wing it. We followed the crowds until we came across Connolly's on 5th, another Irish pub. Based on the outdoor patio, the music they were playing, and the fact that every person going in or out looked like they walked straight out of a j. crew catalog we new we had found the right place. No creepers here (well I guess there were a few, but that is just a given at any bar)! We ended the night at BlackFinn, where the creepers were out in full force. Don't worry, I enlisted the help of 2 big guys, who looked totally out of place and kept rolling their eyes at the weird guys that kept circling my friends. We found out they were from Iowa. Obviously they were good people if they come from God's Country.

Most of Saturday was spent recovering from Friday and watching college football, but we did make it to Terrace Cafe for brunch and a few of us took Barney for a walk on the nature trail behind our house. That night we popped a bottle of champagne and played a few rounds of the Game of Things (best game ever, if you don't own it go out and get it before your next group gathering). Emily took this opportunity to ask us all to be her bridesmaids, which was quite exciting!! This will be my first time in that role and I will be happy to return the favor after she did such a great job for my wedding. Emily also shared with us the bridesmaid dresses she had selected for us...Robin came out modeling a hideous tight red quinceanera looking dress with reflective sequins all over. It took us about 2.5 seconds before we all realized this was a joke. Nice try Emily, we all know you have better taste then that! To celebrate (as if we weren't "celebrating" all weekend) we went to dinner at The Wine Shop at Foxcroft and the ended the night with fro-yo at Yoforia and a drink at Selwyn Avenue Pub.

Sunday was game day! We had breakfast at Eddie's Place (where the waiters always recognize JJ, haha) and then headed to the stadium. It was terribly hot and our seats were on the sunny side. After about 2 minutes I gave up and took the grls over to the shade side and sweet talked the usher into letting us sit there until the real ticket holders showed up. Luckily they never did, so the game was much more bearable...minus the loss. After the game we went to Red Rocks for dinner and then came home and played Apples to Apples.

Everyone else left on Monday morning, so Leigh and I had the rest of the day to enjoy SouthPark Mall (she was going through Nordstrom's withdrawals living in Omaha) and getting pedicures. The perfect way to end a girly weekend.

It makes me so happy to have these girls in my life, and it is always so much fun to catch up on their (totally exciting and successful) lives. Can't wait for our next trip! Is it too early to start planning our Vegas trip for Emily's Bachelorette??? No? I didn't think so either :)

** Also, next time ladies we need to do a better job of taking pictures!

Mary Poppins

This week we took date night in the opposite direction of the last one. Last week we enjoyed hiking in the great outdoors, this week we enjoyed an NYC-style dinner and a show in uptown Charlotte.

The Broadway show, Mary Poppins, has been in town for a few weeks and I kept hearing great things about it so I talked JJ into going with me. I know musicals aren't his first (or second, or third, or...) choice for entertainment, but I guess he knows how much I love them and he decided to humor me for the night. (This is also a benefit of being the planner, getting to decide on the activity.)

Knowing that we would be downtown for the show, we decided to finally use the gift card to Fleming's we had sitting around. The difficulty is the gift card was for $50 and sadly that isn't even enough for one person to have a whole meal. Luckily, I found out about their happy hour specials (6 different appetizers for $6 each) and burger (around $12 each) specials at the bar. We had an appetizer, two burgers, dessert, and two drinks for right around $50. Probably going to do that for date night again soon.

Loved dinner. Loved the show. Date night #2 = a huge success :)

Playing Catch Up!

Oops! I guess its been a while since I last wrote anything. Where to begin...?

The last thing I wrote about was NASCAR, and I'm sure it was what everyone was dying to read about. What I forgot to mention was the week before the race JJ and a few other teammates got to participate in the Pit Crew Challenge. All the guys had different jobs (JJ was pre-assigned the role of Gas Man...ironic, no?) and they had to compete against other "crews" made up of people from all the local news stations. It was really fun to watch and see what the real pit crews do, and I got to sit in one of the cars. After I spent about 5 minutes wedging myself in through the window (no doors on these cars), working my way around the steering wheel I started to panic wondering how on earth I was going to get myself out, if it was that difficult to get in. That's about the time that Tyler came over and showed me how to remove the steering wheel. that would have been good to know before I started.

Memorial Day weekend we had house guests, the newly engaged Katie and Brian. They were in town for a wedding, and we got to play during their down time. It worked out perfectly! Barney was not happy when they left though. He and Brian developed quite a special bond, and Barney decided that just JJ and I were no longer good enough. Glad we got to celebrate their engagement with a night out in Charlotte. We went to Mama Ricotta's for dinner (a-ma-zing), Strike City for bowling and then Blackfin for drinks. Katie also got me hooked on a new drink, sweet tea vodka with water and lemon. Nothing screams "I live in the South!" like sweet tea vodka. Thank you Firefly for this delicious invention.

One of the wives on the team had an 80's themed birthday party so JJ and I had an excuse to get all dressed up. It brought back great memories of living in the Theta House, scrambling to put together a great outfit the day of the event. I will say this, it was SHOCKINGLY easy to put together an 80s outfit browsing the racks at Target. I really could have made 10 outfits! I guess fashion is cyclical. The party was complete with an 80s ipod playlist, a magician, and TAB soda. We had so much fun. The best part was seeing all the outfits, I was quite impressed with the creativity of our friends.

I think that is all for now. I am going through my camera trying to remember what has been going on for the last month. I will come up with more tomorrow.

NASCAR

We live in Charlotte. Charlotte is the home of NASCAR. We live in the home of NASCAR.

In order to embrace our new city and experience something new, we went to the All-Star Race on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Well, to be honest, this was not really my first NASCAR experience. I did visit Texas Motor Speedway once during college, courtesy of the Henry Family. But, regardless, this was JJ's first experience and being the avid sports fan that he is, he was pumped.

As usual, our wardrobe was a major concern in the preparation for this event. Having some knowledge of the typical attire for an event like this, I threw on jean shorts (jorts) and a t-shirt. Granted the shorts were j. crew and the shirt was Banana Republic, but whatever. JJ had gone golfing earlier in the day and decided to keep his frat boy/golf attire on. Sooo not NASCAR. Once we arrived, JJ quickly realized he was overdressed. Something that has never happened before.

Let me set the scene for those of your not fortunate enough to have experienced NASCAR for yourself. Tens of thousands of fans started tailgating at 9 am. The beer is still flowing when we got to the parking lot at 6 pm. People are starting to stumble towards the track. It seems no one has ever heard of sunscreen, the rednecks are even redder now. It was a warm day, and apparently no one had ever heard of deodorant either. I tried to keep track of the mullets, but lost count after 5 minutes. There is a smoky haze covering the entire area, as everyone is chain smoking cheap cigarettes. Very few sleeves on shirts and very few teeth in the mouths. The aggregate weight of the die hard fans in attendance is equal to the GDP of Canada (google it).

All in all it is a tapestry of unflattering stereotypes.

My favorite fan of the night was a man sitting two rows in front of us chain smoking his Doral cigarettes. After about 2 hours he started alternating drags on his cigarettes, with puffs from his inhaler. Hey buddy, I bet I can guess what caused your respiratory problems. (America, THIS is what is wrong with our health care system)

The race itself was actually really fun to watch. The All-Star race is only 100 laps as opposed to next week's Coke 600. I don't think there is any way I could stay interested for 600 laps (update- I was just informed that it is actually 600 miles, not laps, still probably not going to stay focused though). I told JJ mid-race that whoever won the race would become my favorite driver and I would follow him faithfully for the rest of his career (or until I forget to care). Lucky for me it was the Miller Lite car that won, my domestic beer of choice. So it's kind of like I am already part of the team, as I have invested in the sponsor for years.

All in all, our NASCAR date night was a success. I would totally go back next year. I will just have to remember to bring my own clean air to breathe.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

I gave into a little friendly peer pressure and joined a yoga studio. Let me clarify...a HOT yoga studio. It is sweaty, and steamy, and totally awesome. I don't look pretty after class (it takes two towels to keep me from slipping and sliding all over the mat), but I feel great. I was getting a little bored with my regular running routine, and wanted to change things up a little. I think it is really helping my running.

This place is a totally hippie, take your shoes off before you enter kind of place, but its fun. The only part that is a little too granola for my taste is the fact that the showers are across the studio from the changing rooms so there are often half naked toweled people roaming around. I like to keep shower time separate from time with my new yoga friends.

Speaking of friends, you really have no choice but to make friends as there is about a 3 inch gap between your mat and your neighbors. They have been able to maximize their space by marking off places for your mat, so it is not a free for all when you get in the room. My first day I inadvertently sat next to a very hairy, exceptionally sweaty dude who did not fully grasp the idea of personal space. Note to self, pick a spot next to the petite, pro-yoga looking chicks. They know how to control their bodies enough not get all up in your business.

I did my 3rd class today and have liked each one. They have a deal for new people, unlimited classes for the first month for $40. I plan to take full advantage.

Gone Fishing

Yes, I know the correct form is Gone Fishin, but I believe that only true outdoorsy, real fishermen type people should be allowed to say that. And JJ and I are not that type.

When Hunter (I mean seriously, even his name is outdoorsy) called to invite us fishing, we actually had to ask him what we should wear. His response? "Oh that's cute." After being told we could just wear jeans and t-shirts, I looked at JJ and explained that I don't own outdoorsy jeans and no, I would not be wearing my Michael Kors jeans to go fishing. I settled on yoga pants and a grey t-shirt (to make JJ feel more comfortable). JJ wore the only pair of jeans he owns and his Dunder Mifflin 5K shirt (if you know what I am referring to, we will be best friends for life).

We headed south on 77 to South Carolina and met Hunter and Jordan at the bait shop. I'm not going to lie to you, the bait shop was an experience all in itself. The parking lot was full of old pickup trucks and camouflage. And in case I was at all confused as to what type of people frequented this store, a man wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word "Redneck" strolled out the front door. Needless to say, the yoga pants did not fit in.

After awkwardly wandering around the snack section of the bait shop while waiting for Hunter and Jordan to pick out what we would needed (because we didn't know what to look at) we headed out to the pond. The pond is on the property of a friend of a friend who has over 100 acres outside of Rock Hill, SC. It is a beautiful property and very relaxing being out in the country like that.

Hunter handed JJ and I fishing poles and taught us how to cast and then set me up with minnows for bait. As much as I was trying to really get into this, I just couldn't handle putting the minnows on the hook. I'm not so much a fan of handling live fish (or birds, or bugs, or reptiles...).

We spent about an hour without much action, but finally Hunter got a bite and let me reel it in. Pretty exciting for a fishing newbie. I kind of gave up after that because I achieved my goal (touching the fish) and my arm was getting tired and I had lost the original minnow on my hook and didn't want to deal with putting another one on and I was more interested in watching the beaver that was swimming in the pond about 50 yards away. (Does that sound like enough excuses?) I was actually a lot happier just enjoying view and the weather sitting in the grass.

Even though I have been making fun of it a little, we both had a really good time. It doesn't get much better than good company and new experiences in my opinion. We'll see if they invite us back again...

Car Wash

Spring time in Charlotte is beautiful. Trees getting their leaves back, days of sunshine, and flowers blooming all around. Those beautiful blooming flowers also bring along pollen. Everywhere. There is a fine, yellow dust covering anything and everything left outside for any period of time. Our sidewalk, our patio table and of course, all of our cars because we don't have a garage.

So when I was at the gas station filling up the Camry, and it asked if I would like to add on a car wash, I figured "Why not?" I paid the extra $5 and grabbed my receipt with the special code to enter at the automatic car wash around back. I pulled up to the machine, rolled down my window, typed in the code and then read the instructions. No big deal. Pull up to the yellow line, then the red light will come on to tell you to stop and the car wash will start. When the light turns green, its over and you can be on your way. Well I pulled forward, started to roll up the window and was still at least 10 feet from the yellow line and the water started...before the window was even half way up. I got a blast of rushing water right in the left side of my face. Sweet.

Water was pouring in, I couldn't get the window to roll up fast enough. I thought about trying to reverse out of the machine but I was still trying to process what exactly had just happened and just kind of froze in place. I finally got the window up, but not before creating an indoor swimming pool in the car. I was soaked, my leather purse (and everything in it) was soaked, the floor was soaked. I had to sit in that puddle patiently waiting for the car wash to finish.

It finally finished and I drove home with all the windows down to air dry it. I called JJ to tell him what had happened and to have him meet me at the curb with an armful of towels. I got out of the car looking like a drowned rat, and all he could do was laugh. I laughed too, but not before pouting a little to try to get some sympathy. No dice. Just laughter.

The best part of the whole story...less than 24 hours after this whole experience the car was covered in pollen again. Best $5 I've ever spent.

Nature

Today, like most days, I took Barney for a walk through our neighborhood. But this wasn't like most days. Something funky was going on in the animal kingdom.

Barney loves trying to chase the squirrels but never gets close enough because he's always on a leash. Most of the time, the squirrels either stop in their tracks when they see him or turn around and run the other way up a tree or fence. One of the squirrels we encountered today was a little more ballsy. Instead of running away when Barney lunged at him, he ran towards us. He sprinted towards us. As if his life depended on it.

Upon seeing this I panicked. Heart started racing, mind started spinning. All I could think about was the thought of this squirrel attacking me. No, not logical at all. But when a crazed rodent runs right at you, what else are you supposed to think?

So here I am. Dog on a leash. Squirrel running at me. I jump as high as I have ever jumped before to get out of the path of psycho squirrel and as soon as I safely land on the ground I have to jump again because now I have psycho golden retriever running between my legs to try to get his rodent nemesis. I don't know how, but I did not end up on my face or with a broken ankle. I was able to regain control of the dog and get the heck out of there before our furry friend reappeared.

Ten minutes later, my heart rate back to normal, I turn the corner to start heading home. In the middle of the street is the largest bird/hawk/velociraptor I have ever seen outside of a zoo. It seriously looked at least a hundred pounds. Definitely bigger than Barney. Of course my dog tries to lunge towards it, which only makes the beast angry. It spreads its wings and puffs out its chest and I am frozen in place. It is still about 20 feet away, but that is too close for comfort for someone who panics when pigeons even look like they might be heading her way.

So here I am frozen mid-stride, holding on to the dog and waiting to see what this beast is going to do next. After about a 30 second stand off, a car drives around the corner and startles the bird. It takes flight. I dive for cover. Barney tries to go after it.

When I looked up again it has perched on the roof of the house across the street from where I am standing and it remains there with its wings outstretched, trying to intimidate us. Well, it worked. I couldn't get out of there fast enough and happily returned to the safety of our house.

I can't decide if I am willing to risk the chance of more animal encounters of the freakish kind for tomorrow. Sorry Barney, mommy can only handle so much.

Saturday Night

Saturday afternoon we got a call from Charley telling us there would be a black SUV waiting outside of our house at 8:00. That would have been a creepy voice mail had it not been his birthday.

At 8 we hopped in the SUV and headed towards uptown to pick up Charley, Courtney and Jordan for a night on the town. We started the evening at Nikko, a sushi restaurant in South End. This restaurant is super trendy and really more of a club atmosphere with music bumping and Dj spinning.

We walked in and quickly realized we had entered a cougar den. Now to be fair, not all the women were old enough to be cougars, but they were definitely on the prowl. Courtney and I warned Jordan to stay close for fear that the cougars would try to isolate him from the herd and pounce. We were able to safely navigate through the treacherous bar area to our table without losing him. Little did we know the biggest threat would arrive in the form of our waitress...the Queen cougar.

It started out harmless. A pat on the back to get his attention for his drink order. A playful squeeze on the arm after a joke about her boyfriend being out of town. But then it went downhill. After she gathered up our plates from the first round of sushi, we asked her for another pen to order more. Seeing her hands were full, she gestured to the pen in her waitress pouch around her waist. So I reached over to grab the pen. As I'm reaching she basically makes a 180 degree turn towards Jordan so he can be the one to make a grab for it. Taking one for the team, I basically had to jump out of the booth to get to the pen. No, that wasn't awkward at all. No more than 5 minutes later while Jordan was mid-bite he defied all odds and ended up poking our waitress in the boob with his chopsticks. She just happened to walk around the corner to check on our table at the exact moment his chopsticks were poised in the perfect position for getting to second base...Japanese style. No worries, we all had a good (awkward) laugh until she was out out of earshot and then really had fun with it.

After the antics at dinner we were all in a goofy mood and headed to uptown to go bowling at Strike City. Unfortunately there was a two hour wait to get a lane so we settled for having drinks in the bar area. No more then two minutes after ordering the first round, we all watch in slow motion as a waitress trips and spills a drink all over the back of our birthday boy. It was dark so none of us were sure what exactly had just happened, but as soon as he stands up we realized his shirt was now a nice Merlot color. Nothing like a ruined shirt to liven the mood at your birthday celebration! We did end up getting half off our drinks for the rest of the night and they offered to pay for a replacement shirt, so the evening wasn't ruined.

All in all a fun night on the town. I just wish Courtney didn't have to go back to Texas the next day. The boys are so much more fun to be around when she is there too!

Daily Dose of Crazy

It was a weird morning.

Before I headed out to the game, I took Barney for a walk to the dog park. I wanted to make sure he got plenty of exercise because he was going to be inside most of the day while we were at the stadium. There were about 20 other dogs and owners when we got there. Barney is a bit of a baby sometimes when it comes to new situations so it took him a while to make new friends. He kind of looked like the new kid on the first day of school.

I am minding my own business, petting the dogs that come up to me and watching Barney play. This woman wanders over and asks where I got my sunglasses. I honestly didn't know where they are from because I stole them from my mom when we moved. So I told her they were from Target, which is where I buy everything else I own. The rest of the conversation goes something like this:

Crazy lady: "Those are my glasses!"

Me: "Umm...what?"

Crazy lady: "Did you find those glasses on the trail? I lost mine last week. Those are mine. I have to wear polarized sunglasses or else I squint." (as she squints her eyes at me)

Me: "No, sorry. These are mine."

Crazy lady: "Yes they are, let me see them!" (As she comes next to me to get a closer look)

Me: "No, I got these in Phoenix and I wouldn't wear something I found on the trail."

Crazy lady: (after close scrutiny) "Oh now I know they are yours because mine were missing a crystal on the side."

Me: "Umm...yea. I need to go get my dog now. Its time to leave."

Just when I thought I was done dealing with weirdos, I came across a man on the nature trail. The nature trail looks just like it sounds. It is a path through the woods, with thousands of trees all around. You would think that, if you happened to need to use the bathroom while on the trail, there would be plenty of options in the woods that offer privacy and convenience. But, no. As I turn a corner I notice a man with his back to me and a small dog at his feet. With all the trees available, this man has chosen to pee on the trail marker sign right next to the path. Awesome. Either he finished or heard us coming, but he zipped up and turned around right as we were trying to scoot past him. Of course Barney decides he needs to say hi to the little dog and tries to pull me in the direction. As I'm struggling with the leash, this man tries to strike up a conversation with me about how big Barney is. Seriously buddy?! Who would want to talk to you after you got done peeing on the trail?! Gross. I quickly moved past them and headed home.

Who would have thought that such a beautiful Sunday morning would bring out the crazies? I guess all the normal people were in church...

Happy Trails to You

I am officially one month away from my first half marathon and the training is getting intense. Luckily, I have a beautiful trail system right by our house that makes the long runs go by a little faster. Just thought I would share some of the views from the trails!

Cottonwood Nature Trail

McAlpine Creek Greenway

McAlpine Cross Country Course

A New Chapter

Life is full of new beginnings, this year is no exception. With a new job, new puppy, new marriage, new team, and a cross-country move things have been pretty hectic. I am finally settling in to a routine and a new life here in Charlotte, NC and loving every minute of it. Because of the distance between us and all of our wonderful family and friends, I decided this might be the easiest way to keep everyone posted on what is going on with our lives. It started to get too confusing with phone calls to two sets of parents, a sister, and friends scattered from coast to coast (and everywhere in between). I couldn't keep track of who had heard which story! So, now all of our stories will be in one convenient place.

I will start out with the most recent accomplishment, finding a place to live in a city you know nothing about! It was quite an adventure and thank God we had the help of our wonderful realtor Kerry! She was very patient and helpful throughout the entire process and really helped us narrow in on what was important to us. After much thought and deliberation, we settled on a furnished house in the South part of town. It is a beautiful area, right next to a trail system that is perfect for running and soon, walking Barney. (Barney is patiently waiting for his road trip out here in a few weeks.) We have already had our first visitor, JJ's Dad, Rick! Our move coincided with the first home game of the season so Rick was already out here after driving my Jeep all the way down from Green Bay.

Speaking of visitors, JJ's mom, Carla, gets here today! The two of us will be driving down to Atlanta for the game this weekend and are looking forward to seeing JJ's Aunt, Uncle and cousin. When on the phone with Carla planning the trip, she joked about all the visits she and Rick would be making, "That's what you get when you marry an only child!" Well said. But seriously, we appreciate everyone making the effort to come visit us and are excited to share the NFL experience with everyone.

Can't wait to keep everyone posted about everything going on in our lives, and can't wait for more visitors.