13.1 {Miles That Is}

This is a long post. I warned you.

But this is also a post of which I am extremely proud.

I finished a half marathon. 13.1 miles.

(And there was no death. Or throwing up.)

To see why I did this, besides being completely crazy, read this post about Beth.

Daniel and I went to the Expo the day before the race before we headed to St. Augustine. I signed a large board with a note to Beth. These boards were later placed along Memorial Mile on the beach.

I chose the Inspire board because Beth was and always will be a huge inspiration in my life.

Here I am getting in line and trying to warm up. It was freezing and super early, but I was ready to help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer and to celebrate the life of an extraordinary woman.

The start line was full of excitement, with music to get us going, pink confetti flying everywhere, and over 10,000 runners!

This is a solid wall of people heading up and over the bridge...

Mile 2 took us over the Intracoastal Waterway - with the sun just rising and some stunning views.

Around Mile 5, we headed onto Jacksonville Beach for the Memorial Mile.

Mile 7 - over halfway there!

Mile 12. Evil. Evil. Hill.

I felt like dying or asking for a bike by this point, but I kept plugging along.

And here I am crossing the finish line! Daniel was waiting for me at the end to take pictures and give me a hug! It's such an exhilarating feeling to cross the finish line of a race!

I've thanked Daniel many times, but I don't think I can thank him enough for supporting me on this special and meaningful day!

According to Daniel, this is my best man pose yet.

Beth was with me the whole way.

This is my beautiful finishers' medal!

Daniel and I got to stay with a friend of mine on Amelia Island for the weekend, and on the day after the race, we got up early to go to the beach. Beth loved this beach, and I'm glad we got to go for a bit.

We then stopped in Savannah again on our way back to Greenville.

More on that later.

;)

Adventures in the South: Part Two

After our stop in Savannah, Daniel and I drove on to St. Augustine. We got there a little late in the afternoon after dropping off our luggage on Amelia Island, but we still got to see a few sites.

We stopped by The Old Senator, a 600-year-old tree near the Fountain of Youth.

(We missed out on the Fountain of Youth, and I think Daniel was secretly glad to not try the water. I was going to make him taste it. It is, in fact, disgusting.)

Daniel insists that he doesn't take good pictures, but I love this one of me beneath the tree.

I also love this one of Daniel. The weather was so gorgeous that afternoon!

Here's my ever-improving man pose with the old City Gates.

We also walked around the Castillo de San Marcos...

...and watched the sun begin to set.

We got our picture taken by the marina...

...saw the oldest wooden school house in the United States...

...and enjoyed walking around downtown to find a place for dinner.

I hope we can go back someday to do more exploring!

:)



Adventures in the South: Part One

A few weeks ago, Daniel came to visit and traveled with me to my half marathon in Jacksonville.

After a performance with the Augusta Symphony, we stopped in Savannah on the way down. I had never been to Savannah and was really excited to explore!

There was the obligatory stop at Waffle House. Yes, I ate all of that. Don't judge.

(I was following the advice to up my carb intake before the race very seriously...)

Our first stop in Savannah was pizza at Vinnie Van Go Go's, which was recommended to me by Lindsay of Paint Me a Picture. Thanks for the awesome suggestion Lindsay! As you can tell from the picture below of me stuffing my face, we really enjoyed it!

We then explored the City Market and meandered in and out of several candy shops, munching on free praline samples.

I kindly offered to taste test this vat of chocolate, but the shop owners turned me down.

On River Street, we strolled along, peeking into shops and admiring the huge riverboats.

We bought some chocolate in one candy shop and decided to make our own chocolate and beer pairing at the pub next door. It's not as weird as it sounds my friends - it was actually quite good!

Our pairing? Butterfinger bark with Black and Tans.



Cutest picture ever?

We took a ride on the ferry at sunset and watched a gigantic ship go by.

The night ended with fish and chips, Shepherd's pie, and drinks at an Irish pub with a gorgeous view of the river and live Irish music. It was so nice to relax, listen to music, and enjoy each other's company!

:)

Making Memories

While I was in Milwaukee, Daniel and I visited Alterra, the coffee shop where he works. I, of course, walked out with a pretty cup and saucer and a t-shirt.

The bag they were placed in had such a pretty design that I didn't want to throw it away, and it was a fun keepsake from my trip. However, I didn't want a random bag just sitting around in my room.

So I decided to make it the background for one of my favorite pictures from the trip!

I bought an inexpensive 5x7 frame from Target and cut the portion of the bag without writing to fit. I then printed the picture from my computer slightly smaller, glued it to the bag, and put it all in the frame.

Here we are at The Bean in Chicago!

:)



The Little Things

My new reading, coffee-drinking, and knitting corner makes me smile.

:)

Hiccups Is A Silly Name For A Bear.

Meet Hiccups. Ups for short.

He and a gorgeous vase of purple flowers arrived at our table at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons, on Monday!

His name comes from the hiccups that ensued after stuffing my face with fried chicken and mac and cheese. Our conversation went a bit like this:

Me: I have the hiccups.

Daniel: Ha, that would be a good name for the bear.

Me: That's ridiculous. I'm not naming the bear hiccups. Yeah, no.

And then, of course, the name grew on me.

;)



The Onyx Trio

Remember the Brahms post I did awhile ago?

Well - my piano trio, The Onyx Trio, gave our graduate chamber recital on Friday night! While I was nervous, I also had a lot of fun!

Of course there was some pre-recital backstage silliness...

...and some post-recital trio goofiness...

...and a bit of seriousness.

Well, only a little bit...

Before the recital, Julie Anna and I decided to make our own dresses - the one-shouldered ones! Now, despite receiving a sewing machine for Christmas, I was reluctant to do any of the actual sewing. I'll admit it - I was scared. So Julie did the sewing, and I think she did a fabulous job!

I did, however, make a pretty group of satin rosettes to sew on to the waistband of my dress...

...and a cute bunting sign thanking our professors for working with us.

:)