Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree and Happy Birthday Casey!

We finally made it out (in between the rain storms) to find our Christmas tree. We went to a couple different tree lots to find our "charlie brown" or as Casey calls it "ugliest $70 tree ever" - we say every year(after paying $50-70) that we are going to buy an artificial tree, but we never do. We were spoiled when we lived in West Virginia. We drove up the mountain to a farm, cut down our own(very big and beautiful trees) for just $5.00. Nothing compares to that, so every year we are disappointed in the money spent for a marginal looking tree. Oh well, it smells delicious, looks more natural and I love it!

And Casey had a birthday, so we went out for dinner and came home to party! We love our dad for so many reasons, but most of all for his kindness and love...and his sassy humor♥

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY WARREN- WE LOVE YOU TONS!!!♥♥♥xoxoxoxo

Under The Lights 5k Race

I've run several races throughout my life. I've ran 10k(6.2 miles) and 5k(3.1 miles) races, but my favorite runs as I've gotten older are the 5k races. They are shorter and quicker, and I seem to keep myself sustained throughout the entire race without becoming too exhausted, which makes it more fun(for me). In September I did a race here in Athens. It was a great run for a great cause. The pictures are of all the fallen soldiers from Georgia. The annual Bulldawg Memorial 5k is hosted by the University of Georgia Army ROTC program. This 5k benefits the families of fallen Soldiers through the Joshua Reeves Foundation and ROTC Cadets through scholarships established in honor of fallen UGA Army ROTC alums.

The fun(not really) thing about this race was that it wasn't marked very well, so I ended up running 4 miles instead of 3.1. There were several of us who were running together and led each other astray. Needless to say, there were many unhappy runners. I'm sure next year it will be more clearly marked.

The first of November I did a run, which was probably my favorite race I've ever ran. It was at Lake Lanier Islands. Lake Lanier is the largest lake in Georgia, located north of Atlanta. Lake Lanier Islands is a small group of islands on the Lake. The islands are a primary recreational destination for the Atlanta area. During the Christmas season they put up lights around the park for people to drive through and view. During the race they have Santa waving and wishing everyone Merry Christmas as well as Christmas music playing in stereo surround-sound. It was cold, and I had been sick with a head cold all week, so I wasn't sure how I was going to feel. They start at dusk - around 5:45, so it's a night run lit up by the Christmas lights. The whole ambiance was amazingly beautiful. The profits benefited several toys for tots organizations in the area. It was so much fun and the spirit of the run was very tangible in that you felt the joy and love the Christmas season brings. It's a race I'd love to do every year. Casey came along as my cheerleader(thank you Casey)♥

And let's be honest....the best part about running races are always the t-shirts, and this one even had a participation medal! Merry Christmas to me!!