DC trip

Every year my mom, grandmother and myself find a race out of Texas to do as a girls trip of sorts.  We made it a quick weekend but it turned out perfect! We left friday super early, like I had to wakeup at 2 am to get to the airport in time and then still almost missed my flight due to delays with checking in.  I just want to say...what is the point of checking in early and printing your boarding pass if you still have to wait in line with everyone else to check your bag.  It made no sense and made me so frustrated.  I digress.  We got to DC around 11 am and then headed to the Expo to get our swag bag and numbers.

For lunch on Friday we ate at il Canale I had Margherita pizza that was so good, I love pizza with a really thin crust and this was perfection! For dinner that day we realized reservations around there are a must so we ended up at a cute little italian place called Paper Moon.  I stuck with the basic Spaghetti Bolognese which did not disappoint! 

On Saturday, we had the whole day free and didnt want to do too much because we had our race the next day.  We decided to go to the Holocaust museum because I have always wanted to go and it was incredible.  So sad but I really learned a lot, it took us about 2.5 hours to get through and then we just sat out on the National Mall and ate a snack before we had to head back for our dinner reservations.  Prior to the Holocaust Museum we were starving so we decided to eat at the restaurant inside the National History Museum.  The food was so expensive but tasted really good it was all natural and freshly made.  We barely made it back in time for our dinner reservation but I'm so glad we made it because the food was incredible! We ate at a place called Fishers Farmers Bakers they had a huge menu with lots of fresh seafood.  I'm particular when it comes to seafood but I chose the meatless meatloaf which was surprisingly good and then of course I needed desert when they have such a huge desert menu so my gram and I split the banana split it was so good we devoured the whole huge thing!

Sunday we had the race which I already told you all about and then we got back to the hotel, cleaned up and headed out.  Check out was at noon but there was no way four sore women could shower and pack after a race that we got home from around 1130.  The staff was so understanding and we ended up leaving around 130.  My gram headed to the airport as she got lucky enough to have an early flight and my friend decided to venture to the airport as well as she was leaving out of Baltimore.  My mom and I were famished and went to a place we had walked by all weekend that had brunch on Sundays so we stopped in and had some Belgian Waffles and eggs and then we headed to the airport.

We did get to the airport early as my flight was not due to leave till 640 but was then delayed and when all was said and done I got home around 1 am and by then due to an almost missed connection had not eaten since our 2 o'clock lunch to say I was tired and hungry would be have been an understatement!!

We stayed in the State Plaza Hotel which was a cute little hotel by the Foggy Bottom/ Georgetown area.  The service we received was outstanding, the room was always clean and it had a full kitchen which was nice so we could store leftovers, drinks and snacks before the race.  The area around the hotel was so nice! There were so many cute little restaurants and shops.  I must say we did not have a bad meal, the food was OUTSTANDING.  I wish I had taken more pictures of the food because it was so good! The hotel was about 6 blocks from the Metro but was a quick walk and we actually ended up taking the metro bus more because it picked up outside our hotel and dropped us right by all the restaurants and such.  Another plus of the hotel location was there was a CVS right next door which we  visited quite often for drinks and to get cash for the bus.

This trip was so fun, I love spending time with my mom and gram since none of us live in the same city the time we do have together is so special.  

Nike Women's Half Marathon DC 2013

I think this is the longest break I have taken in a while! I am not sure why but this past two months have been on over drive and I have felt like a hamster on a wheel trying to catch up with life in general.  Between my less than desirable work schedule, my attempts at half marathon training and keeping up with an almost two year old there hasn't been much time left for the "extras".  I think since this half marathon is behind me things should get back to normal around here! 

  This past weekend my mom, grandmother, and my friend went to Washington DC to participate in the first Nike Women's Half Marathon in DC. race historically has only taken place in San Francisco and its by lottery only and I have wanted to go for YEARS.  I put in for the San Fran one this past year and didn't get it but was over the moon excited when I saw I was chosen for DC!

We went on Friday to pick up our packets and do some shopping at the Nike Georgetown store.  The store was crazy packed, but the staff there made the experience so fun.  They had a DJ and were dancing and just generally having a good time it makes a crowded shopping experience so much more enjoyable! I was able to get some of the special shoes in my size.  I was afraid after reading all the crazy stuff on the Facebook page that they would have been sold out but they weren't and I love them!!  Since you get a Tiffany's necklace at the finish line the shoes are supposed to resemble a Tiffany's box...so cute!!

At the expo there were many photo ops and they had a huge wall with all 15,000 participants names, it was fun to find our names on the wall

On race day we had no problem getting to the start line from our hotel, we took the metro which they had open extra early and it was a quick but very cold trip!! 

The race started promptly at 7 am, they had the corrals arranged my pace.  I did not do well this race but its simply proof that you cant run a good race if you don't train for a good race.  I just had so much going on with work and life that I did my best to squeeze in runs but I really just wanted to go and have fun.

The course was beautiful and went by many of the big monuments.  The weather was PERFECT, cool, breezy and sunny.  God was looking out for use because as we were getting to the airport it started to get cold and rainy.

It was obvious this is the first race at this location as there were several logistical issues that need fixed in the future.  For one its a race for women so lots of porta-potties is a must...they were so few and far between that the ones they had always had so many people in line.  Also, at the water stops they were only one one side of the road so if you were on the complete other side you had to cut people off to get to it and then everyone was all clogged up trying to get their water or drink.

The finish line was complete with men in tuxedos and a silver platter of Tiffany boxes...the best site to see upon crossing that finish line!

After we all finished and found each other we ate our snacks, took some pictures, and headed back to the hotel.  It really was a great race, we all had fun and I really hope to do it again in the future!

Instilling a Love of Reading

I love books, I always have.
I remember when I was little during the summer my brother and I would ride our bikes to the library and spend the whole afternoon looking through all the books and just reading.

Even today, I could get lost in a bookstore for hours, thats probably one of my past times I miss most since having Landon.  I have so many books in my bookshelf, on my kindle, and on my iPad that I have lined up to read I don't know that I will ever get to them all.  As much as I love reading I am a pretty slow reader, I wish I could change that but it is what it is.

This past week Daddy was at work late and me and L had a free afternoon and I thought we could go to the library in our neighborhood and check it out.

We got a card and he sat and played with these foam dinosaurs and lego blocks while I browsed the children's book section.  I have not been to many libraries in the children's section since I was a child but I was so impressed!  They had a huge section of kids books, a huge section of books with matching puppets and what impressed me the most was how huge the section of board books was.  I like to get those for L because I am less afraid of him accidentally ripping the pages.

we checked out several books and once we got home i pulled them out to read before bed and for the first time ever he sat still and listened to not one but like three or four books! I couldn't believe it!

The next day I asked him where his books were and he ran to where they were and sat and flipped through them for the longest time.  I am not exaggerating but it was close to an hour!

We have had these books for a little over a week now and there are several that he loves. Most seem to have a theme of trucks which he is obsessed with right now.

I hope this is the spur of a love for books like I have and in the future as he gets older he will look forward to going to the library to check out more books too!