Good Things Do Happen in April

Picking up trash on the American Tobacco Trail with the Girls on the Run Team last week

Fish Fry Friday at school with REAL soul food

Stand Up Paddle Boarding with my man

New Beyonce

A Loyal Pittbull Turns 8

Alton Brown

I had no idea who he was (until I googled him) and I'm sure many of the kids at Fayetteville Street didn't either, but Alton Brown came to our school!

This is him.

He did a cool science/culinary experiment that involved popcorn, exploding balloons and dried crickets. 

Needless to say, the kids loved it and now we all know who Alton Brown is.

Popping popcorn with an extra hot lamp

Making culinary science jokes.
 I didn't know it but he has his own show AND was on Iron Chef!

He's doing 2 shows at DPAC tonight and we got front row seats at Fayetteville Street Elementary.

Trying to emulate the chemical reaction that occurs when popcorn is popped. Inside the balloon is kale (for fiber), packing peanuts (for cellulose), and dried crickets (for protein).

This was right after he made that lady eat a dried cricket!

Heating up the "kernal"...this poor woman!

And...POP!

The best part was that Alton Brown stayed after the show and gave each child (over 300) and teacher a personalized autograph!

Thanks, Alton Brown!

Running Career Back on Track

You can't imagine how good it feels to run a half marathon in your hometown on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in October after you haven't done a race in over year, especially after you only ran 8.8 miles for your longest training run.

It feels pretty great.

This was such a spectacular race. I might even say best half marathon ever. Not only was it fun and lovely and all that, but it was extremely well organized. I'd definitely do it again. Maybe I'll even make it an annual thing.

Lucky Number 1108

About to cross the finish line with Lena

Clock time 2:24:21, Chip Time 2:21:03

We did it!

Yay! I'm back!

Next up, an old favorite: The Gallop N' Gorge 8k for Thanksgiving!

Back Home

I've been back home in NC for a week now. Despite the facts that I'm not actually settled in our house yet, I've  been extremely busy, I'm starting a new job at a new school, and I've hardly had time to tell up from down it still feels 100% g-r-e-a-t to be home.

Here's the sunset from the Durham Bulls game on Friday night to prove it:

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Self (birthday) Love

I really love to buy myself presents, especially with birthday money (thanks,  family).

This year, without thinking about it, the theme was golden polka dots.

I treated myself to this this little Free People nightgown (also, why does saying the word "nightgown" make me feel like an old lady?) :

And this adorable Kate Spade planner that is 100% going to help me get my life together and stay über organized:

Long gone are the days of toys and candy. I'm 33 and a lady, so I use my birthday money for practical things. Happy Birthday to me!

The Wine

When Jason and I got engaged our friend Mike, who we refer to as "Mike's Pick's" for his wine picking ability and wine knowledge, gave us a bottle of wine from 2005 (the year we got together) and instructed us to hold on to until 2015 when we had our 10 year date-a-versary.  For the past 7 years, we have carted this bottle of wine with us through several moves, across the country and back and back again.  And finally, the time has come to open it!

Last night for our 10 year date-a-verary we opened the wine and drank it. The whole bottle.

We thought it was good, but we also couldn't  tell if it was corked or not.  We think it was a relatively nice bottle of wine, but our limited wine knowledge left us wondering "is this good?" ,"is it bad?", "Is it corked?", "what kind of wine is this?", "am I tasking minerals and berries or rotten vines?".

Regardless of whether we knew if we liked the wine or not, we had a great time with this bottle for sentimental reasons. Not to mention how nice it feels not to have to worry about babying that bottle anymore. We're free!

We open it. Wonder, "is it corked?"

Those silver markers last a while...

Wine label 

Taste

Taste

Looking back...

I discovered this thing where I can look at the old pictures from my blog. They are saved all together in an invisible file in the sky somewhere and what fun it is to look back at them and reminisce. Here are a few of my favorites:

Practicing yoga at 6:30 am in our little Hillsborough house. Viktor joins.

Hula hooping in our Hillsborough yard with my hoop from Jason. What ever happened to my hula hoop?

Strawberry picking in Hillsborough. Skipping down the aisle. 

Hammock water happy place

Alex! Boat!

My favorite meal ever...20$ Whole Foods salad

Passed out in Bryce's jeep after a day at Carolina Beach with Jessica and Bryce...circa 2011?
Was it too many Miller Lites or too many Britt's Donuts?

Another lake goodie. I like the look on my face to Jason in this picture.
Love and Funniness. 

Reading a story to kids at camp the day Viktor came to CFS. 

Book club! Man, I miss those ladies.

Edie pooping at the South Dakota KOA campground "pet walk", which was actually more of a dirty field.

Campfire chillin' with Marissa at the New River Gorge this past September.

The New River. I do love to sit on rocks by the water.

This guy. 

Carolina on my Mind

Our most recent NC trip was totally awesome. A wedding, family, friends, coffee, beer, sun, warmth, the best food, Carolina Beach, Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Raleigh, Lexington, the lake, disc golf, so many serendipitous run-ins, and just the fullest heart that I ever did have.

I realized it was a great trip and that we're supposed to be there when I didn't even feel the need to touch my phone for a majority of the trip. I didn't want to Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, obsessively check my email, or any of the other addictive phone behaviors that I've cultivated. 

Here's a few key shots from our adventures (though I didn't even take that many pictures while I was there because I was just that present most of the time):

Me and Mama downtown Durham style

Jason and his Dad, lake style (ps- unfortunately, I did not get a picture with Jason's mom...sorry, Cathy!)

Driving the boat with Doodle, the not dog

Lil' sister, me, beer, sun

My hottie hubby rocking the NC short shorts!

Making good burgers runs in the Roberts family

A new addition since our last visit: Kegerator!
Complete with one of my favorite beers of all time, Yuengling!

Relaxing on a porch by water, my "happy place"

Best Donuts of All Time: Britt's Donuts, Carolina Beach, NC

Wedding swag

Pre-wedding beer where we serendipitously got to watch the heartfelt first dance from another wedding

Siblings all grown up and friends now

Kat and Adam's first dance...love these two

And a special fox napkin gift.
Thanks, Peggy!
I love foxes.

Sometimes I get sad that I left this place, but then I remember that it took leaving it to realize just how special it is. The lifeblood and soul here are palpable. Now that we have left it for a bit, it will making coming back that much sweeter.