Birthdays!

Sometimes Andy and I forget how lucky we are to have grandparents. Well, he is lucky and I have adopted his as mine (kind of came with the marriage thing) so now I have some too! Both of my grandparents have both passed away a few years ago so I feel especially lucky to have grandparents again.

I think that sometimes we forget how active his, excuse me, OUR grandparents are. Granddaddy still hikes a few times a week, every week. By a few miles I mean he hikes 10-20 miles. Amazing. Both Meme and Gigi still clog and live very active social lives, eating out with friends, traveling to the beach for weeks on end, cooking dinners for our whole family, sewing, knitting, you can pretty much name it and they do it. We love meeting them for dinners and having them cook/bake us things.

Meme makes the best pot roast. I am working on perfecting it but still have not even come close. Anytime she mentions that she is going to be cooking it, Andy and I are first in line to get a dinner invitation.

Gigi and her brownies! I don't think that I need to say anymore. When she sends them home with us Andy and I bicker over them. I am sure that there have been times when he has hidden them from me so he can keep them to himself. He does not even like sweets that much, but the are THAT good.

Granddaddy, what do you say about the man that walked you down the isle. He is amazing and super handsome. He has the gentlest nature, and some of the funnies quirks too!I don't think that I will ever forget at Christmas when he flashed the lights in the house because it was time to go. He is so funny and I love him dearly.

I know that sometimes we take for granted how spunky they are and I want them to know that we love you them so dearly and appreciate them. I love your wisdom and insight and treasure your cooking, sewing and life tips that you give to me. Thank you for letting me be your granddaughter. I love you guys!

The title of this post, if you made it down this far is because this weekend and in the upcoming weeks we are celebrating the birthdays of Meme and Gigi. Happy Birthday to two very beautiful women!!!

15

yeah, that is the number of miles that we ran on Saturday. It was a long way. We *ahem*, I use that term very loosely, decided to go back to Cades Cove and run around it to get our 15 miles in. I just want to tell you a little story from this time last year. Sometime last year Andy and I were training for the Knoxville Half Marathon. We got to the weekend where we were to run 11 miles and got the bright idea that going up to the Smokey Mountains and running Cades Cove would be a great idea. It was not and I hated every minute of it. We got there and just as we started to run it started to rain. Not only did it rain but it there was thunder and lightning the whole time. I clearly remember not getting 3 miles in and Andy asking if my feet were wet, to which I responded, soaked. Thank goodness that Andy's mother warned me because if you don't know the facts about Cades Cove it just might break your heart. There is a sign at the entrance of the loop that says that it is 11 miles. It lies, it is just a little over 10. I told Andy last year that I NEVER wanted to run this again. Actually I think I told him that after each mile. I hated the run and then proceeded to get sick on the way to Gatlinburg which just made the trip that much better.
So to bring you back up to speed, when Andy asked me on Friday where I wanted to run and I said I didn't care, he cautiously asked if I would be willing to go back to Cades Cove. I hesitated, and then forgot how much I HATED running there before and once again said that I would run Cades Cove. What in the world was I thinking!!!! Well we drove up there on Saturday. The weather was perfect. I think that it was about 50 degrees and sunny. The boys (Andy and his father) started out talking about how pretty it was and how the scenery was a great distraction. They were both on the lookout for deer and other forrest animals. I just ran. As I said before we were planning on running 15 miles and the loop is only a little over 10, so we ran down a path/road for a little while and then it got to hilly so we turned back. I think that one of the main things that I forgot about Cades Cove is how hilly it is. It is one giant hill after another. There were times when I thought that all we did was run uphill and we never when down a hill. Pretty frustrating when not only to you have to try hard to run up a hill but you have to also avoid getting hit by cars along the way. At one point I almost shouted to a car that I had just as much right to run on the road as they did to drive. It would have taken too much energy so I just kept my mouth shut. By the time that was made it to the end of the loop we still had 2.5 miles to run. We ran in circles until we got to 15 and made it back to the car. We were all pretty tired, achy, and so ready for it to be over. At the end of each one of our long runs Andy and I agree that there is no way that we could run another mile, but we somehow manage the next long run to add a mile or two. I guess this is why we train, to help our bodies realize that we can run for this long. Right now I just can't imagine doing the 15 that we did and then having to run another 11. This week is lighter, we only have to run 11 for our long run, but we still need any prayers that you want to send our way.
Most of you probably don't care about our running, but as I said in the previous post, it is kind of our life right now. That and planning for all of the upcoming weddings that we are in this summer.
If you see us on the road, don't be afraid to honk!!!

My long lost blog...

Where have I been hiding lately you ask. In Knoxville, mostly on the road running my little heart out. I feel like that is all we do, schedule our lives around running. We both knew that this training for the Cincy Marathon was going to be time consuming but holy cow! We are really enjoying the training (with the exception of the 9 mile run that we had last weekend where I just about started crying and Andy had no idea what to do with me. I got over it and finished the run, but it was probably the hardest run that we have done to date.) and are enjoying getting to spend time together. We are running 14 miles this Saturday, *gulp* that is tomorrow. So keep us in your thoughts and prayers as you go about your day!

I would like to give out a shout out (she has yet to give me one on TV and if only you knew how many times I have asked her to) my roomie from college. Kara will be turning 28 on Sat. Yes, she is a Valentines Baby! I am sure that her really sweet husband, Damien, had wonderful plans for her. I hope he knows not to get her a box of chocolate, she hates it and has gotten more of them in her life than I think that she knows what to do with. At any rate here you go Kara, just picture me singing this to you in my exceptional singing voice. And you guys did not know that I could sing...

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday Dear Kara,

Happy Birthday to you!

I love you and miss you. I wish that you lived closer. I am still pushing for your off season home to be in K-town and always will. Have a happy birthday!!!!