North Carolina State Fair

Sarah and I were able to spend a day at the State Fair and see all the fun animals.  There was one tent with sheep that we went into and this really cute eleven year old let Sarah get into the cage with the sheep.  She loved it.  I also found a little shed/house that I want to attempt to build some day with my own two hands!!  I better start learning carpentry now! =)

Mt. Mitchell

Mt. Mitchell is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River standing at 6,683 feet.  I had the chance to summit the mountain on a beautiful October day with a few friends from NC.  We made the 11 mile round trip trek in about 7 and half hours.  The fall colors were in full bloom and the sun was out and shining.  We could not have asked for a more lovely day to climb the mountain.  My favorite quote of the trip, "after a half mile, I knew this was going to be bad." My friend Jonathon said that after we got back to the bottom.  We all made it and had smiling faces on top.  It is so wonderful to be able to enjoy the beautiful creations God has provided us - I feel such a peace and calm when I am out in the woods!

RAGNAR 2011

I am back - at least for now! =) Hopefully, I will get us caught back up to at least the beginning of this year.  Back in September, my family ran our third Ragnar race up in Washington D.C.  It was a wonderful experience - aside from the a lack of sleep, sore muslces, running in rain, etc.  =) It was just as much fun as the rest we have run together.  I know it sounds crazy to run for a straight 30 hours, but being together and cheering everyone on while they run, gives me a thrill that is hard to explain.  We accomplished another 200 miles and enjoyed the beautiful sights we got to see.  Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment!!

Major Hiatus

HEY HEY HEY!! Well, I have been away for several months and have provided no updates to my adventurous life since my trip to Washington D.C. back in September.  I have so much to report on but this is just going to be a teaser as I do not have time to provide real and adequate information and pictures!! These are the events you have to look forward to reading about:

D.C. Ragnar - Camping with the kids - Summiting Mt. Mitchell - NC State Fair - AT endeavor - Biking the Creeper Trail in the snow - Halloween - Thanksgiving - Elizabeth's Madrigal Dinner - Matthias' National Race - NC Zoo - Christmas in TN - D.C. Trip (again) - Biking the American Tobacco Trail in Durham - Christopher's Mission Preparations

Wow, that took all my energy just to write that list! It has been a busy few months and the next few are going to be the same, but it is great.  I always seems to get more done when I am busy and have lots going on! For those who read, I hope you are all doing wonderful and I look forward to adding pictures of all of my adventures.  Even with all these fun things I have been able to do, taking care of David, Mary, and Sarah continues to be the most adventurous.  Bye for now!!

Washington D.C.

Steve took the kids to Utah for about a week and half during their last track out so that meant I was a free woman with no responsiblities.  During this time, I decided to go spend this time in Washington D.C.  I have been there a few times with my parents but have never really spent any time in the city.  A good friend from college let me stay at her place while I was visiting.  My plan was to hit up as many sites in the D.C. area that I have always wanted to go and visit.  The longer I was in the city the more I realized you could never see everything.  A few of my highlights were: tour of the White House, tour of the Capitol, Ford's Theater, seeing all the monuments on the mall, riding the metro, hanging out with friends from NC, seeing friends from my college years (doesn't that make me sound old), saw the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the US, saw the flag that inspiried Francis Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner during the War of 1812, Portrait Gallery Museum, Holocaust Museum, etc.  It was a wonderful trip.  Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment!

 View of the Washington Monument from top of the Old Post Office Tower

 This is the booth that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in.

 One of the rooms in the Library of Congress! It is a beautiful building! (There are actually about 8 libraries of Congress)

 Pie from Kramer Books at DuPont Circle

 The new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

 Arlington Cemetary was probably one of my favorite places I visited. This is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 Here are my NC friends that I got see while in D.C. - Jaclyn and Dan

 No pictures allowed inside the White House so I just got the classic one from outside.  I felt like I was in a museum when I was going through it.

 I took this picture just to prove that I was actually in D.C. This fountain is in the Sculpture Garden.

 Arlington Cemetary

 I also had a chance to to go visit a college roommate up in Baltimore and she and her cute son spent a day with me at Gettysburg. This is a picture from the top of Culp's Hill looking over the cemetary.

 Within the battlefield, there are over 1,300 monuments built and dedicated to the men that served and died during that three day battle. Here is the one for the men from North Carolina.

 This is Fort McHenry with Tara and her son.

It was a wonderful trip!!

S&T Soda Shoppe

For Steve's birthday this year, we went out for ice cream at the S & T Soda Shoppe in Pittsboro.  They serve a banana split that is large enough to feed a small army and ours is always up for the challenge.  The kids always love going and I think Steve and I gets just as excited.  Here is the proof of our enjoyment of the banana split!!!

2001-2011

It is hard to believe that I graduated from high school 10 years ago!  It has been a great 10 years - some things have gone as planned and others not so much.  All of it has been an adventure with lots learned.  I had the opportunity to see a handful of my classmates this summer at our high school reunion.  It has fun to catch up with everyone that attended!