Pink Tulips

Flowers are my weakness... {tulips are some of my favorites} and when they are planted down by the bay where I run in the afternoons, I can't help but take my camera and try to capture just a hint of their beauty.

Fairhope comes alive in the springtime. Everywhere you look around town, there are tulips on every corner {and even on the tops of the trash cans believe it or not}.  It doesn't get any more "Mayberry" than that folks!

I told Mrs. Vickie {Aaron's mom} about them when we were visiting this weekend and I told her I would put them on the blog for her to see and I hope you enjoy viewing them too!

"Jerkin' a Perch"

This weekend, we headed up to Papaw and Charlotte's fishin' cabin to "jerk a perch" as Papaw calls it. {translation: to catch a fish} Anytime we want to get away from the real world, cell phone service, and the daily grind, we retreat to the cabin to eat, sleep, visit, and catch fish.

And catch fish, we do.

This time around we didn't catch anything over 4 lbs... only the hyperactive idiot middle-school aged fish were racing to the worm.

But it's not all about jerkin' perch...

It's about lying on the swing with a good book...

and catchin' rays...

where naps after noon are totally acceptable...

listenin' to the crickets chirp...

observing nature and wildlife...

killing a "no-legs" when it comes charging our way...

It's where a cup of coffee, the warm morning sun, and your new favorite book is the reason you get out of bed...

Oh, and I cant forget Charlotte's hot biscuits {or "catheads" as Papaw calls 'em} fresh out of the oven...

Well maybe I should just show you REAL reason I get out of bed...

Crispy bacon, sausage, grits, "catheads" with jelly, and fried eggs... I got up bright-eyed and bushy tailed every morning!

It's where the canines are just as excited to start fishing as the humans.

Occasionally Papaw runs out of his Vantages {his cigs} and this time he sent Jessica and I to the tobacco store in town to buy him some. Before I could tell the girl behind the corner what cigs I wanted, she asked me what kind of cigarettes did the person I was buying them for need... Obviously Jessica and I looked like fish out of water. {Thank God} Then we went to Sonic and treated ourselves to slushees... and Papaw got his nicotine fix. Everyone was happy!

When we're not eating, reading, or napping, we're in the "yacht" {what Papaw's calls his boat} jerkin' a perch.

and Aaron is the captain when Papaw's not with us...

And then Papaw cleans 'em...

fries 'em...

and then we eat em'...

Weekends never last long enough, but the relaxing ones at the cabin give me the boost I need to hit the ground runnning when I get home. I cherish these times with my family... especially these last few days while Aaron is still in town.

More on that subject later... I hope you enjoyed "jerkin' a perch" with me today!

26.2

On Sunday, February 13, 2011,  I completed my very first marathon with my best friend Courtney.

Let me just tell you about our weekend before I talk about the race.

We ran the Mardi Gras Rock-n-Roll Marathon in New Orleans and so we combined a sight-seeing weekend with a marathon weekend.

New Orleans is beautiful in its own unique way. Me, personally- I just love all the colors.

And I'm kickin' myself that I didn't take more pictures but we did a lot of walking around downtown, ate some fine cajun cuisine, and did some shopping. The whole crew consisted of my whole family, Courtney, Clay, and Clay's parents. We had a good 'ole time! Now if only I had a group pic. Well, here's most of us.

The weather that day could not have been more perfect. It was chilly that morning and cool and sunny as the day progressed. It was the perfect day to run.

Aaron, Jessica, and my Mom and Dad ran the half-marathon {13.1 miles}. We gave Julie the role of our "Team Manager" and the day would not have been the same without her. She was our personal cheerleader, coach, photographer, and I think she may have run her own half marathon that day simply trying to meet up with us at different parts of the race to cheer us on and take pictures. She was a trooper.

Bless her little heart. She was just as worn out as the runners!

We nicknamed Aaron the BLACK STALLION. It KILLS me how fast he ran the half with only 3 weeks of training... absolutely kills me.

Jessica also smoked the half... and she is now about to start training for a full marathon... Oh, and she was probably running too fast for Julie to take her picture.

Bri and Joe {that's what we call them sometimes} completed their 13.1 miles and have also decided to start training for a full marathon. It's contagious!

While Court and I were still running, the rest of the fam was celebrating at the finish line.

So let me just tell you about this 26.2 miles we ran... Let's just say I learned what the word "perserverance" really and truly means... mentally and physically. Can you tell?

As much as it hurts, it's a good, satisfying pain... like yeah, my body just ran 26.2 miles and I'm still alive to tell about it! That's a feat right there! I have run half-marathons, triathlons, you name it, and they were quite the challenge... but a marathon is in a league of its own.

We were so thankful for our support team. Julie was massaging my legs while Sue was  massaging Court's back... Talk about winning the awards for Sister and Mother-in-Law of the Year!

Courtney has been my running buddy for a loooong time {as in years} and thanks to her, the training and the race {not the pain, though} was FUN... and we are already planning on running another one.

Not anytime soon though!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillipians 4:13