beat the street for little feet

In light of the fact that I am way behind on posting major life events and thoughts here, I'm going to throw another one out there...

*2009 has been a great year for me*

One thing I set out to do as a resolution in January was to "move a little bit more", and I am happy to report, that after about eight months of training, I completed my first 5k race on October 31, 2009 (which, as you know, my previous physical condition made this quite a challenge!).

[before]

I am so proud of myself for many reasons, but the main one is that I actually achieved something that I set out to do despite working long hours, commuting long distances, and dealing with whatever other things life threw at me this year.

I ran the race in 32:36, which I consider to be completely acceptable for my first attempt. Even more impressive to me than my time was the fact that I ran the entire distance, without stopping to walk, including the KILLER hill that they so graciously threw in there at about mile 2.75...ouch...but no less, I powered through and made it.

[after: it poured the WHOLE time!]

Next goal (in the foreseeable future): a 10k and a half marathon.

Long term goal (in the barely foreseeable future): A MARATHON.

I can't wait, and I look forward to continuing to learn about myself, my strength, and to what limits I can push myself!

Now, back to reality... After Sara and I ran the race that day, we ended with a delicious lunch with some friends at the VORTEX (an Atlanta institution...you actually walk through a skull mouth to enter the restaurant...it's a colorful place ;o)). Now this, my friends, is a HAMBURGER (fully loaded with pimento cheese)...does it get better?!

[MMMmmmm....]

biltmore estate

Basically since the day that Sara and I moved to Georgia, we have been talking about visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

I always heard how beautiful it was at Christmas with all the decorations and how amazing the flowers were in the spring time.

But...you know how it goes...life gets busy, and things that take a little bit of coordination fall by the way side...

SO, Sara and I made a game time last minute decision a few weeks ago to bite the bullet and go...and we were far from disappointed!

It is the largest privately owned residence in America, and at 175,000 square feet (roughly, of course), it's pretty incredible. Maybe I need to find a Vanderbilt to marry so that I can live there someday! ;o)

I am very much looking forward to going back in the spring time to view the gardens, stables, and of course, visit the winery and get some delicious grub.

Check it out...

Biltmore Estate

It's beautiful!

day zero

Well, it's obviously been a while since my last post, which, as most of you know, is a sign of just how crazy my life has been of late!

I'll try to provide sufficient updates and hopefully some entertainment and food for thought, but it will take a few posts...

Here's a quick update: In May, the construction project that I had been working on since moving to Georgia completed (Haw Creek Elementary and Lakeside Middle schools), and I started work at McCarthy's Athens Regional Medical Center project in Athens, Georgia. My previous commute had been 35 miles (one way), and while I was extremely excited to be starting at the Athens project, it meant that my commute would become 72 MILES, one way. With my lead foot, I could make it door to door in an hour and ten minutes.

So here was my life from May until November...

- 4:15am: wake up

- 5:00 - 6:10am: drive to work

- 6:10 - 6:30pm: work

- 6:30 - 7:40pm: drive home

- 7:40 - 8:30pm: run

- 8:30 - 9:00pm: cook / eat (thanks to my lovely roommate, dinner was often waiting for me!)

- 9:30pm: bed

Now, you may have noticed that "free time" did not exist on that schedule...

SO, our lease was up in November, and I decided that since Sara was moving on to bigger and better things (NashVEGAS, lookout!), I should pick up and move closer to work for the sake of my sanity.

So I did.

I left the city I love so that I had time to read, sleep, cook, run, play piano, watch movies, see people, and in general...relax and do things I enjoy!

I moved the weekend before Thanksgiving, and have been in Athens for a few weeks now, but I have been back and forth between here and Atlanta many times for various holiday activities, etc., making it feel less permanent...until today, that is.

Sara has still been in Atlanta, as her last day of work was yesterday, so last night I went down to have dinner with her and the family that she works for (who is devastated to see her go!). We had a great time, and enjoyed delicious food and beverage for what may be the last time that we are all together. This morning, the time came to say goodbye to the family and to Sara, and I was totally caught off guard by a small sob-fest that hit me as I drove away...

While driving back to Athens, I reflected on what has certainly been two of the best years of life thus far...

I am going to miss having Sara as a roommate. I am going to miss going for a run at Chastain Park on Saturday morning with her. I am going to miss cooking breakfast on the weekends. I am going to miss MANY, very expensive trips to Target and The Gap where we encouraged each other to spend money on unnecessary things. She was so great to live with and to have adventures with, and I cherish the time we had together.

I also reflected on things I will miss about Atlanta. I will miss the abundant restaurants, shops, and things to do and see. I will miss the guy selling flowers at I-75 and West Paces Ferry, rain or shine. I will miss the Highlands. I will miss the buzz of city life. I will miss Piedmont Park. I will miss friends. I will miss the beautiful houses. The list goes on...

This certainly is the end of an era.

Tears were shed, though, not only for sadness of what will not BE any longer, but also for appreciation and love for what has been. I have been blessed.

And now, I go forward for whatever is next...

So here we are. Day Zero, as Sara says.

Tomorrow marks the start of a new era and adventure.