Here I am!! Sorry guys, I didn’t fall off the map, honest! Lot’s of life has been happening since we last chatted so let me try and catch you up…
Grand Rapids Half Marathon:
Bryan and Chris and I opted for a change of venue this year so instead of running the Detroit Half Marathon we travelled about 3 hours west and tried the Grand Rapids Half. This is a much smaller race in terms of runners participating but the course was lovely as was the expo. Another nice touch is the race director shakes hands with each participant as they cross the finish line…for each race…Half or Full…this was very cool! The downside of this race for us had nothing to do with the race itself but the weather! It had rained the entire day before and poured several times during the race. Add to that the strong winds and standing water to wade through and there were no pb’s happening for us this day! Bryan and I were running the Half (Chris the Full) and he decided to try and pace me to a 1:55 or less. Umm no. It takes so much more energy to try and maintain your pace when you’re fighting the wind. Still, we had a great time running together and it made for some good stories 😀 .
Thamesville Corn Maze:
A couple of weeks after the race we set out for some “Fall Family Fun” with a couple of other families. With Evan home from college (because of a teacher strike, but that’s another story) it truly was “Family” fun! We had never been to this maze before but one of the other couples recommended it. It did not disappoint! We’re talking over 7km of corn and clues…it was a blast! Here’s the arial photo they show you before you go in. Impressive right?
The other thing I really enjoyed about the place was the giant outdoor board games. They had Chess, Connect 4, Guess Who (jack-o-lantern edition) and even Pool with coloured soccer balls!
They had a bouncy area for little kids and a corn launcher which we didn’t make it over to as well. Old fashioned, tech- free fun. A great day!
Evan turns 18:
November 10th is a special day in our house and this year was no exception…Evan turned 18! As per his request I made him a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate ganache and Reese’s Pieces on top. Since he was still home due to the college strike he was able to get together with some friends as well as family.
Old enough to vote, my goodness!
Quick trip:
This past weekend we took advantage of a bit of time off and zipped up to Ottawa to see my brother Eric and sister-in-law Katie. They moved into a new house a few weeks ago and we offered ourselves as painters for the weekend.
Before…
After…
We managed to squeeze some fun in too. Basically, we painted during the days and ate good food and played games at night. One of our meals was a trip out to a local ramen shop. If you’ve only ever experienced ramen in the form of a $0.30 package, I strongly encourage you to find the real thing…so worth it!
Soft eggs are not my thing but they were easy to pop into Bryan’s bowl 😉 . That broth is magical I swear! We were even treated to a bit of winter weather while we were there!
Sorry for the blurry pic. I took it as we were leaving Ottawa on the highway. On the way back home we dropped Evan off at his dorm as the 5 week strike was finally over! So, again sorry I disappeared for a bit but I think we’re all caught up now!
What’s the worst weather you’ve ever run in?
Chocolate cake or vanilla cake?