Nashville

We visited Nashville 2 different weekend....

The first time Elaina and I went the last few days of her Spring Break just to hang out with family.  I just wanted to get away for a few days so Nashville seemed like the perfect spot.  We did a weenie roast one night, visited the zoo, and the girls played and played.  I only have pics that I snapped from my cell phone since I forgot my camera.

The girls did a lot of tree climbing...My sister has the greatest Magnolia tree that is perfect for tree climbing.  I don't know that Elaina has done a whole lot of that but she seemed to love it and was pretty good at it....

Water break - Elaina would move in with Sadie and Celia tomorrow if I let her.  She love being with them that much.

I don't have any shots of the Nashville zoo as I did not take my phone in with me.  But, I am super impressed with the Nashville Zoo.  Let's just say that.  We had fun.

Two weekends later all three of us (Erik, Elaina, and I) headed back to Nashville to visit.  Plus, we got tickets to see Wicked!!!  Erik had not seen it yet.  It was my second time - saw it in NYC the first time. I could seriously watch it 100 times more.  Saturday, Erik helped Dave with some yard work while Nell and I went with Abby and her girls (and Sloane and Elaina) to a garden festival at a local botanical gardens.  They had lots of stuff for the kids to do (craft/puppet show), beautiful flowers and the weather was simply perfect!

They had a puppet show that the kids liked - Elaina wanted to wear my sunglasses throughout the whole show. I think she looks so cute.

Elaina holding Sloane after lunch - her favorite thing to do right now.  I'm going to say it again.....HOW SWEET IS SLOANE???  I will stop, but I can't help it!

Later that night, we saw Wicked!!  We had a great dinner with Nell and Dave and Abby babysat all the kids - Thanks Abs!

Reverse back a few days - the Thursday before we saw Wicked, Elaina's school did a performance of Wizard of Oz (coincidentally).  Elaina wanted to dress like Dorothy the day they saw the play at school.  She couldn't dress out of uniform but we did the hair and she wore her shoes that she has had in her closet waiting to grow into for years.  Just thought this was a cute pic

And Wicked - no cameras allowed but we got this shot before it started.  Our seats were AMAZING!!  middle, about 6 rows back!!!

Some pre-show selfies...Just because.  I am seriously way to old for selfies but whatever!

Dave wanted in on the selfy action

Loved our weekends in Nashville - love my sisters, bro-in laws and my nieces so very much.

5K

Okay...so I have never really blogged about this before but I have run some 5K's this past year.  It's not a huge thing but it is something I finally did and I have to say, they are not that bad.  I have not run many, but some.  I ran in the Covenant Health 5K this past weekend.  I have not run or trained really since January so I am not sure what I was thinking. The idea behind signing up for them is to keep me motivated to get out and walk/run.  Well, for this one, I did not do that. I was lazy this winter - I blame all the snow.  We have a treadmill but that is beside the point!  I almost chickened out the night before because I did not feel prepared (and rightfully so) and not go but I decided that it doesn't matter - just get your butt up and do it!!!!  Plus, I committed to my sis-in-law Melanie to do it. She is training to to a Marathon before her 50th b-day.  So proud of her!

Anyway, running is not and will never be anything close to my favorite thing.  I do it in the name of fitness, not because I love it.  This particular race is no joke when it comes to the kinds of people that were there.  It was the "Knoxville Marathon" so it's pretty easy to look at all those people and get intimidated by the fitness that exudes from their presence.  That was a big reason that I didn't want to go but I overcame that and am glad I did.  Because in the end, nobody cares....it's about doing something for yourself, right?

My strategy for this race was to finish, jogging the downhill sections, and walking the uphills.  I did better than I thought I would do and jogged more than I thought I could/would.  And, turns out I finished this race not much faster then I would have if I would have walked the whole thing.  What does that tell you?  I don't run much faster than I can walk.  So, again...all in the name of getting up and moving.  I need to do more of it.  This year, I hope to do more 5Ks than I did last year.  Do I want to do something more than a 5K?  I have been asked that, and no, not really.  I am good with this amount for now.

Erik did this one with us.  I was so happy about that.  I think he liked it and I definitely liked doing it with him.  He ran it super fast.  He is a freak of nature, as I lovingly call him :).  He is naturally a fast runner (from all those years of playing soccer) and has good endurance.

We ran into Neyland Stadium and finished at the 50 yard line.  Very cool for a UT Alum and fan ! :)

Things to be proud of:
1) I got up and went
2) I finished
3) No one who was running the half marathon finished before me (that happened to some 5Kers)
4) Erik did it with me
5) I am healthier for it :)

Now, to keep up the moving and not get lazy like I did this summer.....

Pics.... :)

What is the foil thing? People were standing there ready to drape them around us.  So,we did but were not sure what the heck they do or mean.  I guess it keeps the cool air off your sweaty self?  When is Neyland stadium, do as the runner do, I guess.