Wonderful Weekend

The past several weeks in Indiana have been cool, rainy, and most of all...dreary! I think we were all ready for some SUN! So the sun came on Saturday and now the temperatures are in the 90*s and it is summer!

Craig and I both had a GREAT weekend. We spent it separately on Friday with me spending time with my friend Mandy and Craig with some of his friends from college who came into town.

Saturday afternoon, Craig and I headed to Brown County State Park! It was a beautiful day and it was really nice to hike in the shade.

Craig loves it when I take his picture!

I decided that we would do trail 8 all the way to the Lookout. Even though it said 3.6 miles, Craig swears that it was at least 6 miles. It took us a full 3 hours!!

There were some very muddy parts of the trail and then there were the stairs...if I counted correctly, 143 of them!

I played tour guide and pointed out the trees, the poison ivy, ferns, and the mud. Craig appreciated it. I tried to lead us in camp songs, but I couldn't remember most parts of them. It has been too many years since girl scouts and church camp.

We finally made it to the Lookout!!

This friendly guy guarded the stairs to the top of the Lookout. I just closed my eyes, made myself skinny as possible and tried to hurry past him.


This was the view from the top!

After a quick shower to wash off the bugs, we went to the Starlite Drive-in and saw Shrek The Final Chapter and part of Iron Man 2. Shrek was very good and very funny, but we couldn't make it through Iron Man. The other problem is that we were both low on sleep from Friday night and the movie didn't start until dusk, so after 9. By the time Iron Man came on after Shrek and an intermission, it was pretty late!

Sunday we went to Indiana University's Art Museum. Their featured artist was Thomas Chambers. We saw a lot of his ship and landscape paintings.

In front of the Art Museum

The fountain in front of the IU Auditorium

We both loved spending time with friends and loved our time together! It was a wonderful weekend!

Mini 2010

Woohoo! Saturday was the Indy Mini and a neat thing happened: Eric, Sarah, and I all got personal best times for the 13.1 miles! Not only did Sarah get her best time, but she also ran the entire race!

The temperature was around 50 degrees, but with the wind chill, it felt about 40. The wind was very strong and gusty. I actually thought the weather was awesome during the race and felt the wind push me along. However, while we were waiting on the race to start and then after the race, everyone was sooo cold! This was the type of weather that I was really hoping for during the marathon in March!

Visit with the Grays

This week Craig and I got to spend some precious time with Dana and her boys, Karter and Kaden! They were in Indiana visiting family and we were able to meet them at a park in Terre Haute. We met 3 month old Kaden for the first time. I didn't get any pictures, but he is a very happy guy who loves to "talk." While Kaden was having lunch, Craig and I were on Karter watching duty and we had a lot of fun chasing him around!

Craig couldn't resist picking up a remote control car for Karter. For only being 23 months old, Karter figured out how to run the car pretty quickly! It was pretty fun to watch the determination on his face as he worked the controls. We also got to test out his A,B,C's and counting skills. Karter is one smart kido!

We missed chatting with Kris, but had a wonderful time with the Gray family!

Nicole's Wedding

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Derek and Nicole Bridge!!

Me and Eliza, the brand new Mom!

I'm so happy for them!

Not only did I get to see Nicole marry her best friend and help celebrate such a special time in her life, but Nicole and I got to chat quite a bit at the reception! It was so good to see her so happy! I wish them the best!

Girls Weekend

Sarah, Mom, and I got to spend some time together last weekend. Eric was out of town for the weekend, so we met at Sarah's and had a great time. Friday night we ate some pizza and watched a movie. It was a very relaxing evening. Saturday morning Sarah and I went for a run together around Pendleton. It was a beautiful chilly morning and a great time to catch up with each other. After showers, we headed over to get manicures!

Showing off the lovely nails!! We also visited an antique shop where mom found some copper items!

They might not like it that I posted this picture, but I love how happy mom and Sarah look together! The rest of the day was spent shopping and it turned out to be successful for all three of us. It was great to spend the time together. I think Sarah has been trying to plan a girls weekend since before I got married. I'm glad it worked out!


This is a picture of the vines that cover our stairs. The flowers smell wonderful. So far the bees that are attracted to the flowers haven't bothered us. Spring has been beautiful in Bloomington!

The rest of our trip...

Race day was such a beautiful day for walking around DC. After a shower, lunch, and a little rest it was good to walk around. We actually got to see a lot Saturday afternoon.

Vietnam War Memorial

Vietnam Nurses Memorial

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Don't we look tiny next to Lincoln?!

Washington Monument

World War II Memorial

We spent Sunday at Mount Vernon.

Monday was rainy so we spent it inside at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was a great trip!!

Expo and the Race

This sign was outside the Armory where the expo was held the day before the race. Of course, it provided the perfect backdrop for some photos!

Jess and Craig

Jess and Nancy

Jess and Nancy

We stopped for a late lunch salad at Union Station

Then we had some wonderful pasta the evening before the race!

Nancy, Aunt Gay, Craig, and Uncle Bill

The START line as the sun is coming up the morning of the race!!

The morning started around the mid 40*s, but quickly warmed with full sun and a beautiful blue sky with temps reaching around 75*. The first half of the race was full of spectators and lots of neat landmarks to enjoy. I really had a great half-marathon race, just a totally enjoyable run! My ankle really didn't bother me too much more than the rest of my body. Around mile 18 and 19 my pace really fell and I could really tell that I had taken the past 6 weeks off and hadn't trained to 20 miles like I was supposed to. The last 5 miles were really rough and I was so extremely glad to find that last mile. My spirits rose that last mile and I felt so much relief to finally be done!

When I first decided to run a second marathon, I was really hoping to finish around 4 hours. (I finished the Chicago Marathon in 4:38.) I was pretty much on pace in DC until mile 18 with my finishing time being 4:26. I'm disappointed that it wasn't closer to 4 hours because I still think I'm capable of a better time, but I really don't see myself attempting a marathon anytime in the near future.

I ran last night for the first time since the race. I could tell that my quad muscles are still repairing and the my ankle is still tender. I went back to my sports chiropractor today and she still recommends rest and ice. She said that according to where my pain and tenderness is she is still surprised that it wasn't a stress fracture.