From Indy to Dayton: Another Fun Weekend

I love fall. I love the crispness of the cool air as it gently runs its fingers through your hair. I love the smell of fresh grass, the colors of falling leaves, and the undeniable changes that this season brings. It's that sound that leaves make as you step on them and lightly crush them together. It's the taste of fresh cider that you haven't had in months. It's that coolness in the air that makes you want to snuggle up just to stay warm. It's hooded sweatshirts and long pants....It's everything! Fall is such a beautiful time of year that is so full of exciting things to do and experience. Like most things, it is better enjoyed in the company of others.

This past weekend I had the chance to get out and enjoy fall. It started with a trip to Indianapolis to visit one of my roommates from Romania. She is leaving this week to go back for 6 months in an effort to brighten the lives of orphan children in Bucharest. In the years since Romania we have had many opportunities to hang out and I wanted to make sure I got to say goodbye and hear all about her plans when she gets there. Plus, Indy is a really cool city and it was nice to get out and enjoy it! My visit started trip to the arts district in Broadripple from some Vintage shopping and a great lunch at an Egyptian cafe. This part of town was soo neat even though it was a pretty cold and cloudy day. I took some pictures and got to enjoy some local music as well as make a few good vintage purchases. It was lots of fun and I promise to post more pictures of it soon! After that we got dressed up and went to downtown Indianapolis for a nice dinner and some conversation. I was anxious to hear all about her trip-her expectations, the children, where she would be living etc...so this was the perfect opportunity. Plus, dinner was awesome and they had delicious sangria plus sweet potato fries (which I have loved and not had since Corning last summer!). We went out for a bit after dinner before heading home for the night. Sunday we went for breakfast at this awesome little cafe in Amanda's hometown for Crepes and returned home for some great conversation with her family before I headed out for some more Fall Fun. It was a quick trip, but I couldn't be more excited for Amanda's return to Romania!

On the way back home from Indianapolis I stopped in Dayton for a little adventure to Young's Dairy in Yellowsprings, OH. This place is a dairy farm with TONS of activities. There are animals to pet, slides to ride, corn mazes to get lost in, many ice cream flavors to try, putt putt golf to play, wagons to ride, pictures to take, and fun times to be had by all! I'm pretty sure we did everything on that list actually, so it was a full day of activities but so much fun! After the dairy farm we picked up pumpkins for a little carving fun before I headed back to Celina. I am soo glad that I drove through and was able to take part in this adventure...There couldn't have been a better way to enjoy a fall day!

Okay, and here are some pictures from the weekend (more to come):

This is my super cool pumpkin

All of us on the wagon on the way back from the corn maze. Hidden throughout the maze are mailboxes with stamps...if you find all of the stamps you get $4.00 off putt-putt golf so we were sure to find them! Here we are proudly displaying our accomplishment on the wagon ride :-)

Feeding some goats!

John, Ben and I in the corn maze!

All four of our pumpkins! I obviously took the easy route...but they did such a good job on their much more difficult pumpkins!

Me, John, and Brittany going down the slide at Young's Dairy. Never too old for this!

All four of us on a happy face bale of hay...love it!

And me with my glass of sangria in Downtown Indianapolis!

It definitely wasn't Miami, but since I couldn't be there I decided to make the most of the weekend anyways!

Fall pictures and the big run!

So sorry it has been so long for an update! The past two months have slipped away as the days got shorter and my life got crazier. Lets see....so much has happened but here is the snapshot: I took part in a 5k walk for cancer research in Dayton, I started classes for my MBA, took a weekend trip to Cedar Point, spent some time home hanging out with my family, a weekend trip to Northern Michigan, and just this past weekend I ran the Detroit Half Marathon! Here are a few pictures from up north and some pictures of the race in Detroit!

This one is for my sister: A happy boy ready for his wagon ride!

Going for his first wagon ride with Grandpa
Gavin looks like such a big boy playing with his toys!

A sleepy boy in his wagon. Precious!

Thats me all ready for the big race!
About to cross the finish line 13.1 miles later! Thats me, being silly me even though I'm totally exhausted!

Half Marathon re-cap: I can't believe it was just 7 months ago that I really began running for the first time in my life and can now say that I have finished a half marathon! I spent months training only to get sick the week before the race. It didn't help my cause much, but I was determined to cross the finish line in some way, shape or form! I trained for and ran the whole thing by myself and while it proved to be more difficult than I had expected, it also proved to be more rewarding. I guess when you run with 18,000 other people you are never really alone. I was a lot more nervous than I had expected lining up at the start line and having no one to laugh with just to ease the tension. But after a really cold start I was on my way! Right after mile 3 we crossed the Ambassador bridge into Canada and the sun was just rising over the river. It was something beautiful-running along the bridge surrounded by thousands of strangers, seeing the colors of autumn and the hazy pinks and oranges of the sunrise thinking to myself "man, this is cool." From there it was 5 miles of Canada running, along the boardwalk and through some neighborhoods then under the tunnel back to America. Thats right, folks, I have officially run underwater for one whole mile! Following the tunnel I was pretty tired...that kind of tired when your body doesn't want to move anymore...but I knew it was just a few miles more to the finish so I trekked along at a slow pace just hoping to be alive at the end. Around the last corner, sooo close to the finish line I see my Dad yelling from the side trying to jog along side and get a picture (the one you see above where I'm giving a thumbs up)....it was pretty funny and I definitely enjoyed the laugh before crossing the big finish line. And not only was there a medal awaiting me (along with some much needed food and water!) but just past the finish line my mom, sister, and nephew were there cheering me on. It was a great feeling to be surrounded by family at such a cool moment for myself (probably not exactly what I was thinking in my exhaustion and severe need of food at the finish line, however). So, there it is. The half-marathon re-cap for you to enjoy. Was it hard? You betcha. Am I still sore? Oh yeah. Add in those parts where I woke up entirely too early to stand in the freezing cold then run for over two hours with 18,000 other people and you're probably wondering "was it worth it?" My answer to you, then: Absolutely. After all, I got to run in two countries, see the sunrise while atop the Ambassador bridge, enjoy a perfectly clear fall morning, and fill myself with this unbelievable feeling of personal accomplishment. All that for only two hours of my life. Of course it was worth it!