Last Weekend

It was a busy weekend. 

I got a few lessons on my own baby bike. Let me just say I can't shake that grin off my face when I am out on the road. 

I went home for a day and got school completely in order so the kids could start Monday. Looking at all those books just waiting made my little teacher heart happy as a clam. 

I also brought down the paints for Rosie and John. They just couldn't wait until Monday to get started. I told Leah it was the cheapest and most effective form of sanity I was ever going to give her...

Driving home and seeing this. Harvest is well underway. How I miss the wide open spaces and being able to see nothing but the earth and sky for miles and miles. 

Sunday brought the much anticipated half-marathon. I got the biggest blisters of my life. 

But finished with a much better time than I had even dreamed of (1:58:41) and did my best to chase down my running coach, who put in a 1:34:40. And slept very well Sunday night. :D 

Little People

Little people make me very happy. 

When they come and read in my office....

 When they make me an Auntie again, and fall asleep while I am holding them... 

And when they let me help them with their homework and read them stories. Let's just say, I have been pretty happy this last week. :) 

Tough Mudder

This weekend we took a little trip to Wisconsin so Josh and Broud could run the Tough Mudder. 

They had been training and were pretty excited to run 11 miles through mud and over obstacles. And I was pretty excited to chase after them with a camera and cheer. 

We got there a day early so we could hang out with Dan and Bethany and this adorable little munchkin. Who grew in the month since we saw her last and has a much deeper appreciation for food now than she did before.  

A gorgeous day calls for a trip to Lake Michigan, a little beach volleyball and some sand castles. 

You are never too old to make sand castles. 

I think we may have possibly been spending a little time around each other. Seeing as we are doing exactly the same thing here without even trying... 

Maybe it should be called a sand fortress instead of a castle. 

Then it was off to the Tough Mudder. The course ran through cornfields, swampy brushland, and a gorgeous young vineyard. Needless to say, this country girl was a little beside herself. 

The start of the 9 am wave. My guys are in there somewhere... 

It was pretty easy at first to follow their trail and get some pictures. This was about one mile in. 

That's my man, right there. :) 

They climbed walls...

And jumped into dumpsters full of ice... They had many other obstacles as well, but I managed to get quite lost on the course and spent a good hour tramping solo through the marsh (where I got completely soaked, covered in stickers, discovered a deer trail, and overall had a wonderful time reliving my childhood exploring the woods while the guys kept running) trying to catch up to them. I finally found them right before the finish. 

Last obstacle, traverse through 10,000 volts of electricity. There were so many people crowding around to watch this one it was hard to get close enough for a good shot. 

Running in that finish. 

They were so filthy, I almost didn't recognize them. :) 

Way to go guys! I am so proud of you! Now the waiting two weeks to find out if they qualified for the Ultimate Tough Mudder by finishing in the top 5% of runners who were trying to qualify. Either way, it was an awesome trip and unanimously voted well worth the time. 

This Guy

This guy makes my day. 

                                                                    
                                                                   Like every day. 

Motorcycle Trip

Two weeks ago we went on my dream road trip, 5 states, 1502 miles, all on the motorcycle to visit friends and family in the upper Midwest. Below are some of the highlights... 

All packed up and ready to head out at 6am. 

Watching the sun come up from the back of a motorcycle is for sure on my top 10 most want to repeat experiences now. 

First stop, the National Motorcycle Museum. Which we didn't know existed until we saw signs for it. It was pretty amazing. We got to see Evil Kenevil's bike and Harleys back when they were bicycles.  

I got my chaps for the trip and debated a lot whether to get the ones with the 'frillies' or not. Glad I did; watching them do this all day kept me from getting bored... 

We took almost 100% highway and enjoyed gorgeous scenery. When you are not in a hurry, that is the way to go. 

First night, Milwaukee. To visit this beautiful girl and her parents.

We kind of did a number on their living room.... 

They live right on Lake Michigan. So yeah, I got to go to the beach on my upper Midwest trip too. 

Back on the road, riding across Wisconsin. You know it is Wisconsin because of the ever present silo's and red barns.

Taking highway meant going through many little towns. This building is an elementary school. My little teacher heart leapt at the thought of teaching in something this cool looking. 

Next stop, Rochester. To meet this little guy. Who is named after this awesome guy. 

And to visit his parents. I wish you guys lived closer!! 

Quaker Steak and Lube. Possibly the most amazing burger ever. I thought I was going to die before I finished it. Next time I will have to make it into two meals for sure... 

My pilot got me this journal as a present while I was at camp. Let's just say he knows how to get to my heart. Blank paper in a leather bound personalized journal? Score times three. I will say that writing from the back seat is a bit of a challenge, but also pretty fun, once you figure out how to keep the pages still. 

Stopping at a small town gas station and seeing only motorcycles. That was a first. I guess it was the taco ride of motorcycles. They all wanted to know where we were from, since we obviously had road trip gear and were super impressed we were all the way from Omaha. I was impressed they knew where Omaha was... 

Neither of us had ever been to Mall of America before, and seeing as it was right on our way, we decided to stop. 

The highlight? Taking this boy to Legoland where he has wanted to go for 20 years.. :) 

Minnesota. And a rest stop. Which we were more than happy to frequent many of for a chance to stretch our legs and look for maps. 

Our final stop was Josh's grandparent's house in the woods up north of the Twin Cities. They are retired and Grandpa Bill spends his spare time chopping and managing wood for his wood-burning stove and making amazing wood projects like these. He has shelves of them, each more intricate and amazing than the last. 

They were thrilled to have us visit, and I only wished we had more time to spend visiting and exploring the woods. 

But there was work to head back to, so we pointed our noses towards Omaha and rode. 

Riding the last hour or so into the sunset was the perfect ending to an awesome trip. 

I am officially a motorcycle chick now, just in case there was ever any doubt before. :) 

Chilling with Auntie Em

Being an Auntie is the bomb... Especially when your brother randomly calls you up to see if you want to chill with your niece for a few hours. 

We fed the ducks. And ourselves. Not sure who ate more bread, Caroline or the waterfowl... 

We danced across the wooden planks (because they make a cool noise) and looked at the river. 

We went to Red Mango and Caroline got to pick out the toppings. And yes, she used both spoons at once....

Finally, we went home, put on our pajamas and watch Tangled until Mommy and Daddy got back. Thanks for coming to visit Caroline!!