Race Recap: Highlands Ranch Backcountry Wilderness Half Marathon

Last Saturday I ran my second half marathon since starting running about 14 months ago, proving to myself that I’m making a lot of progress and that crossing the finish line of that first half marathon wasn’t a fluke!

The distance was way less intimidating this time around and I was a lot more prepared.  That’s not to say I didn’t have butterflies last Saturday morning and think to myself, as I stood in the kitchen all dressed and ready to go, “why exactly do I do this again?”

I got in several 9 and 10 mile runs this training cycle and peaked with one 11 mile run two weeks before the race.  For my last half, I did one single 9 mile run as my longest distance prior to the race, so the addition of 4.1 miles on race day was a huge physical and mental challenge, whereas now I’ve been doing a lot of trail running and have become quite accustomed to and comfortable with 2.5+ hour runs.  I was nervous before the race last weekend, but I knew I was prepared.

This was a trail race – not a true hard core mountainous race with 2,000+ feet of elevation gains and losses, streams, wildlife, etc., but this was 95% dirt, about 50% single track, and did have some leg trashing hill climbs and descents.  I had run on part of the course a handful of times leading up to the race to train, but now this area and trail system is definitely one of my go-to spots here in the Denver metro area.  You have a spectacular view of the whole Front Range for pretty much the entire time, it’s really quite lovely.

This was my first race without music, and it was a totally different experience.  I have been doing most of my trail/mountain runs sans music, but I decided given the nature of the course to forego music for the race, and honestly I will be doing that again.  Not only is it a more “pure” running experience – you hear each breath and footfall, tuning you into your own body more – but I had a totally different and enjoyable experience with my fellow runners!  I had several conversations during the race, I overheard other groups’ conversations, I spoke more with/to the volunteers – I was tuned in.  It was really enjoyable.  I’m an introvert who is always more comfortable alone and with my own thoughts in a crowd, but this was a worthwhile and cool experience.  I highly recommend it.

About a month ago, I scored an amazing deal on a pair of New Balance MT1210’s and they are great!  They are a perfect dirt/trail running shoe and I think I’m permanently switching back to New Balance for all of my running shoes.  That’s what I was running in before my injury and running in a pair again has just reminded me how well they fit and suit my physiology.  I’ll finish out the life in my Brooks Addiction 11s, but then I’m switching back to NB for trail and road shoes.

The weather was glorious and the race went well.  I fueled and hydrated perfectly, felt great the whole time, and just thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience.  After crossing the finish line and getting my medal, I got my free beer from Grist Brewery and indulged in a 10 minute session with some Normatec Recovery boots.  Every race should end like this!

My official time was 2:36:45, which considering the terrain, I was quite pleased with.  I’m obviously not a fast runner and I’ll never be one of those ripped women at the front of the pack clocking 6-minute miles uphill, but dammit, I can conquer this distance like a champ and feel good doing it!

Neal and I treated ourselves to sushi later that night.  It was the first time I’ve broken my vegetarianism since I started that about 3.5 months ago, and it was delicious!  It was one meal though and as much as I enjoyed it, I have been right back to the veggies since then.  I had really been craving fish (I still haven’t missed chicken, turkey, pork, or beef) and so I decided to pay attention to my body and eat fish without guilt.  A craving like that probably means there’s something lacking in my vegetarian diet, which I will explore over the coming weeks, but it was another epiphany in my journey into vegetarianism that I will be meat-free 99% of the time because I really do like it and feel better, but if I want fish a couple times a year, that’s perfectly okay.  This may also still just be a stop on the way to 100% vegetarianism, which is okay too.

I am proud of myself.  I felt so good the rest of that day – that high is just unlike any other.  It’s a lot of work to chase it, but man, is it worth it.  That grin on my face in the chair, holding my medal and beer – THAT is why I do this.  I reveled in that feeling for that moment.  Life was perfect for another brief instant.

Becky

Race Recap: Denver Hot Chocolate 15K

Last Sunday, I ran my first race since my injury over 4 months ago and all things considered, it went really well!  I ran the 15K distance in the Denver Hot Chocolate 5K/15K on October 5th and am happy to report that my leg didn’t flare up or give me any issues!  It was an absolutely perfect Denver day and the perfect conditions for running – I felt exhilarated the whole time to just be running.  I felt like I was finally back!

I laid out all of my gear the night before because it was going to be a pretty early morning with a 4:30 AM wake up call.

The hoodie came with the race entry and then I bought the long sleeve purple shirt at the race expo.  The hoodie is really nice and I will definitely get some good use out of that in the upcoming winter months of running.  I made a last minute decision the next morning to just wear the long sleeve shirt and leave my hoodie behind because it just wasn’t cold enough to bother with it, gear check it, etc.

I was standing at the lightrail station near my house by 5:35 AM to catch the train downtown.  For $8 and not having to deal with traffic downtown for the race, this is definitely the way to go.

I was downtown at the race site by about 6:20.  The 15K wasn’t scheduled to start until 7:50, so I definitely had plenty of time, which is better than cutting it close and barely getting there in time.  I was loving the early morning light on the urban Denver landscape and got a few really beautiful pictures.

The 5K was at 7 (I know, a lot of us were kind of scratching our heads on that one too – why the 5K first??  If anyone has any official insight on why they do that a lot of the time, I would actually be very interested in understanding), so I lined up to watch that get started and then walked over to the finish line to see the first finishers coming in just under 17 minutes!  The first two people to finish were a boy and a girl who I later found out are siblings – how cool??

I milled around a little bit more, made some small talk with people, and then got lined up in my starting corral at about 7:40.

I was in the third corral, so I didn’t cross the start line until about 7:54, but then I was off!  I haven’t run a race downtown prior to this before, so while certainly not my favorite setting, an urban run did have its charms and intrigues.

I felt really strong for the first 5K, still good overall for the 10K plus a little, but struggled a touch with the last two miles or so.  I could tell a difference from getting back into strength training, so I was encouraged by that, but this was by far the most I have run on a hard surface since my injury, and my joints were not being shy about letting me know that!  I finished strong though and my official time was 1:39:28.

The finishers medal was pretty cool and we also got a finishers mug.  I was disappointed with the mug because I thought it was going to be a real, oversized porcelain mug, but it was just a cheap plastic mug filled with junk food, ha.  I ate the banana and drank some of the hot chocolate, but ended up throwing most of it away because I didn’t feel like filling up on all of those simple processed sugars.  Kind of a disappointment, but oh well.

I hung around for a short while in Civic Center Park, just taking in the scenery, people watching, and relishing in what was just a solid run overall and a great way to come back from an injury.  I won’t jump to sign up for this race again in the future, mostly just because of the setting, but I did really enjoy the 15K distance, so that may be what tempts me again in the future.  I’m also going to seek out other races at this distance because it is the perfect challenge between the 10K and half marathon.

Gotta love these gorgeous autumn Denver days – could this be any more perfect??

Now I’m 4 weeks out from my trail half marathon and looking forward to a completely different race experience coming up with that.

Happy Saturday!

Becky

UPDATE: I have one pretty big gripe about this race that most of you probably won’t be able to relate to.  I am not on Facebook.  I have never been nor do I ever plan to be on Facebook.  Just…ech, don’t get me started.  So, when I get an email earlier this week from the race saying “your pictures are available!!!” I was excited to check them out.  Well, it led me to a FB landing page and said “Like this page to see your pictures!”.  Grr.  No, not cool.  After stewing about it for several days, I finally asked Neal if he could do it through his account so I could at least see the pics.  Well we “Liked” it (rabble rabble) and when I entered my bib number, there weren’t any results and a note that said “we were unable to tag you in any pictures”, so they’re also relying on me being on FB to “tag” me and I therefore have no official race photos from this race.  Nevermind that my bib was clearly visible so they know who I am.  No, no I have to be on FB to be tagged.  I at least got to view official photos from every other race I have run and for the cost of this race, this actually really pisses me off.  Okay, rant over.  You have been informed 🙂

Race Recap: Highlands Ranch Independence Day 5K

Happy Independence Day! Despite being injured and having to walk the race, I had a wonderful time with my mom and husband on my favorite holiday all year (Thanksgiving is a close second). The weather just couldn’t be more perfect here today and there was a parade and beer and puppies. It was awesome 🙂

We each dressed up – me and Mom in 4th of July-themed clothing and Neal sporting some Army pride:

He wants to get back into rucking for exercise (walking at a very brisk pace dressed pretty much like this with a 25-60 pound back pack / gear bag). This is a military thing and when soldiers have to haul gear from one camp location to another, you pack up, and ruck/road march for miles and miles. They don’t always travel in nice motorized vehicle convoys, so they have to be prepared to travel like that. The race today really inspired him and he wants to do another 5K together next month where he’s rucking and I’m (hopefully) running. Needless to say, he got many comments on the ensemble (don’t you dare call it an “outfit” ha ha) – especially because the “DV” is for a group called Dysfunctional Veterans and says “Leave Me Alone” in giant letters across the back! It’s basically a group/club/loose collection of guys who have served and will never be the same. The DV Facebook page lets them commiserate, tell stories, bond, be grumpy men together, etc.

The course itself was actually kind of crappy, ha. It wasn’t particularly scenic, wound through a commercial district in Highlands Ranch, had a bitch of a hill at the end (if you were running this thing, you would have to slow to a brisk hike to make it up; this was not just a “oh damn, an uphill stretch” – we hiked up a hill side). It was unnecessarily steep and just frankly not very well thought out. We walked it though and talked the whole way and just had a great time laughing, sweating, people watching, commenting on dogs, etc. At one point near the end, we were laughing about how the blood had rushed to our hands and we needed to walk with our hands up in the air to alleviate “sausage finger syndrome”. Neal added his idea of a special touch to the photo…

This was the sign after the huge hill. Had I been running, that would have royally pissed me off and would surely have blown any chance at a PR. The good thing about walking though is that I was able to take a bunch of pictures during the race. I don’t do that when I run, so that was kind of fun.

My mom very recently decided she wanted to get more active and healthy, so she has been walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes each day. She feels great and has made a lot of progress, but the 3.1 miles (with big hills!) was a challenge for her. She was particularly challenged in the last half mile and even admitted that if she were on the treadmill, she would have quit at that point. We slowed to match her pace and cheer her on to keep her spirits up. I told her it was just a head game, the finish line was just ahead, and that I was proud of her for doing this. She soldiered through and we crossed the finish line with a net time of about 52 minutes (I’ll post the official time when it’s available). I was so proud of both she and Neal! It was actually really special to share this experience with them and my mom was really excited to cross the finish line! It made me reflect on why I got into running to begin with and that every step, even if walking, makes us stronger.

Afterward we caught the parade. These were my Mom and I’s favorite parts of it:

Dogs with a wagon!

Dude rode this thing like a horse!

And these were Neal’s favorites:

And I just had to get a picture of Neal on this thing:

Then we enjoyed our free beer from Grist Brewing Co and walked around the post-race party and 4th of July carnival. We tried Grist’s Kolsch and Hefeweissen, both of which were really good. The Kolsch was a lot closer to a pilsner than what I would normally consider a true Kolsch, but it was still tasty. We will definitely be patronizing their brewery/tap room in the future.

To cap things off, the Humane Society was there with a gaggle of dogs that need good homes. I was so busy petting puppies that I didn’t get pictures of this part, but trust me, they were adorable and I wanted to take every one of them home 😀

I had so much fun with Mom and Neal I forgot for a while that I can’t run right now…

Happy 4th of July!

Becky

Making The Best of a Situation

I haven’t written in over a week and I was thinking about that as I was driving home from work last night. I write when I feel moved, inspired, excited, infuriated, passionate…but apparently not when I’m just melancholy. I guess that’s the best word for my state of mind right now. Perhaps blah. I’m just blah. I’m still injured and it’s been three weeks and one day since I last ran.

This has been a huge challenge to keep my spirits up, maintain my mental peace, deal with stress, and manage my weight since I haven’t been able to run. I’ve been going to physical therapy twice a week and haven’t even tried to press my luck with regard to high impact activities. My leg is getting better, but it’s really slow going and the mind games have fully set in. I’m having thoughts that I’ll never run again, that the depression will return, and that my issues with food, weight, and body image will once again take over. Intellectually, I know this isn’t true. I know that I have the power to fight this off, to stay positive, to maintain the physical and mental progress I have made over the past 10 months, but god dammit, it sure is hard right now.

Last weekend, Neal made a batch of strawberry beer margaritas and I indulged while icing my leg. Tequila made me temporarily forget about my woes, ha ha.

I have a 5K race tomorrow that I registered for before my injury. Until about 5 days ago, I was pretty sure I would be completely sidelined and wouldn’t be able to participate at all. However, the good news, a silver lining here folks, is that I am walking much better. I made the decision not only to walk the race, but to recruit Neal and my mom to walk it with me! We’re going to get all dressed up (of course I have American flag socks – need you ask??) and get some exercise together in the morning. The 4th of July is quite possibly my favorite holiday all year round and I am determined to enjoy it tomorrow, even if my original plan to attempt a PR at the 5K distance isn’t in the cards. We’ll walk, talk, enjoy beer from a local brewery afterward (http://www.gristbrewingcompany.com/ – I’m looking forward to trying their beer!), watch the parade, and enjoy ourselves.

At least I’ll cross that finish line and won’t be a total poser by wearing the shirt in the future and putting the bib on my wall 🙂

If you’re racing tomorrow, good luck and have fun!

Happy 4th of July!

Becky

New PR, or PB, or Whatever – First Time For Something I’m Proud Of!

This turned out to be a pretty great weekend, and it’s not even quite over! Yesterday was productive with some errand running and then we met up with some friends for dinner at Mezcal on east Colfax. Mmmm….fish and shrimp tacos…they were so good! I allowed myself a beer too, which I don’t normally like to do the night before my long run day, but damn, it was worth it!

I did, however, refrain from partaking in the round of shots – but it was fun to watch the group!

I originally woke up this morning just before 7, but ended up falling back asleep until about 9:15. Oops. I kind of felt like my body was telling me something though, so I tried not to beat myself up over too much. Breakfast was whole wheat banana pancakes with blueberry syrup. Crafted – as usual – with love by Neal 🙂

Do carbs get any better than this? I mean, really?

All fueled up and caffeinated, I got dressed for a run. I was determined to get in some solid mileage since prior to today’s run, I was only at 8.5 miles for the week. Wah wah. I knew I wouldn’t be hitting my goal of 20 for the week, but I was determined to get a hell of a lot closer, ha ha! I threw my hair together into something that actually turned out pretty cute and kept things out of the way, so I think I’ll try this again in the future.

I was in a purple mood today (it’s my favorite, after all!), and of course, the socks had to match.

Fun socks really do make me run faster – honestly 🙂

I was also still in the mood to try a new trail, see some new scenery, so I headed out east a bit from my house and got on the Cherry Creek Trail near the reservoir and headed north. It is a good path, not too hilly, but there are enough ups and dowsn to challenge you, several bridges, curves, fast and flat sections, etc. I will definitely be covering this terrain some more for future runs.

This was one of those runs where you know it is just going to go well. I felt rested, strong, and ready to bust out 8 miles. So off I went, and sure enough, it was an amazing run! I think it did help that it was relatively cool since a storm was moving in – more on that in a second – but my body just felt ready to tackle that distance. I set Run Keeper to only notify me of my distance every 4 miles so I would know when to turn back and then got lost in the run. At 4 miles, I took a 60 second walk break, ate a gel, guzzled water, and turned back. I was also sipping on some water with a Nuun tab dissolved in it the whole way. I felt like I did a good job of staying fueled and hydrated.

That storm was moving in the whole time, but it didn’t start to sprinkle until within the last quarter mile (how lucky!) and then literally within the last tenth of a mile, it OPENED UP. I mean, absolutely started pouring rain. It was all I could do to get into my car and strip off all of my gear in there. It was crazy! There were tornado warnings on the radio threatening instant death if you didn’t seek shelter right away (well, okay, not that bad, but they did say to seek shelter, that properly was likely to be damaged, etc.). This picture is somewhat from the sweat, but mostly the rain!

And the view from the car on the way home:

And once I got home looking back east where the storm was:

The clouds were really neat!

Okay, so the PR/PB part: I checked RunKeeper when I got home and not only had I completed 8.15 miles in 1:20:36 (with about a minute of that when I first started and got all my gear strapped on and in place), but mile 3-4 was a new personal record at 8:30!! Most of us can run pretty fast when you’re actually sprinting, so I have no doubt I can sprint way faster than this, but as far as just a pace I achieved in the middle of a run, without even trying, that’s a first by a long shot – almost 40 seconds faster than my previous best individual mile split. I feel pretty damn proud of that, and for hitting that distance today.

I finished my running week at 16.75 miles – a hair shy of my 20 mile goal, but close enough that I know I can just get myself together next week and hit that 20 miles.

Were you guys happy with your activity level for the week?
Did you do anything fun or new?
What challenges are you working to overcome (or just meet each week) right now?

Enjoy your Sunday!

Becky

Blazing New Trails

Happy Friday, friends! Okay, so despite the title of this post, I didn’t exactly forge any new paths, but I did try a new trail for my run this morning. It was a nice change of scenery and the trail itself is well maintained, so I was happy. It goes for quite a distance too, so I’m looking forward to exploring it some more.

I went with the motto on my shirt and got out to enjoy the great scenery and a good run in the cool air left over after last night’s torrential downpour.

Run Happy, you say? Okay – especially when I only paid $12.99 for this at Marshall’s – double score!!

We’ve been getting some crazy rain around here and all of the rivers/creeks are pretty full. There are waves and “white caps” on the Platte River where there is normally just a pretty mellow flow of water.

This Platte River/Mary Carter Greenway trail is really nice and close to my house, so it’s where I usually run.

Water levels are pretty high.

About a mile into my run, I took a turn off of the Mary Carter Greenway trail where I took the pictures above onto the Bear Creek trail, which I had never done before. The path was more narrow and hilly than along the Platte River, but it was a nice trail and it felt kind of adventurous to try something new. I’ll definitely be going back to explore more.

The run itself was challenging for some reason. I only ended up going 4.6 miles when I was planning on 6. Something just felt off today as far as my energy level was concerned. It made me kind of mad, especially since I started the day off with one of my favorite breakfasts, peanut butter and fried eggs on whole wheat toast. I like to cook the eggs over easy so the warm yolk oozes into the peanut butter – nom nom nom…

I know some people hate eggs over easy, but I like ’em runny!

Natural peanut butter was weird to me when I first tried it about a year ago, but I swear by it now!

During my run I came to the conclusion that I’m probably putting too much pressure on myself for my weekly mileage. I recently decided I’d like to hit about 20 miles per week (up from about 15-18 currently), which shouldn’t be a big deal, but the stress I’m feeling over “gotta make all my runs longer, have to get in an extra day each week, push, push, push, miles, miles, miles” is already taking away from the simple joy of just running. I run because of how it makes me feel, of the mental clarity it brings me, of how it helps me maintain my fitness and has built a lot of self-confidence, not because I’m hardcore and training for a big race or chasing a PR. Those people are awesome and I follow plenty of their blogs because I truly enjoy reading about that journey, but I realized it’s not my journey. Yes, I ran a half marathon in April and plan to run more in the future – and I will necessarily ramp things up for those types of races. Even for my 15K in October, I’ll have to up my game a little bit, but overall, I run because I just want to get out there and feel good. 20 miles per week is doable for me and a good target I’m still going to keep in mind, but I gave myself permission this morning to 1) not achieve that every single week and 2) not feel an ounce of guilt when that happens. There. One problem solved. I love it when that happens 🙂

And finally, I got an email from Pro Compression where I ordered my compression socks a few weeks ago with a great promo going on until June 15th for 50% off of their socks and sleeves (minimum two item order)! I was really impressed with the quality of the first pair I ordered, so I went ahead and ordered two more pairs. The best part? The promo code is good for anyone! Yes, you can use the code JUNE to get 50% off socks and sleeves until next Sunday at http://www.procompression.com/. I am not affiliated or compensated by them (although, maybe I should be ha ha), I just liked their product and think 50% is a hell of a deal, so give it a try if you’re in the market.

I ordered these http://www.procompression.com/marathon-powder-blue/ and these http://www.procompression.com/marathon-black-with-neon-dots/. I can’t pass up a great deal on fun socks!

Happy Friday everyone!

Becky

Notes to Self:

New things I have learned/realized in the past couple of days:

1) Under no circumstances am I to ever again go for a long bike ride the day before a race thinking it won’t affect my performance and that in so doing, I’ve still somehow “tapered” or “taken it easy” before a race. Ha, I crack myself up.
2) I need to make time to stretch after races. They are some of the longest distances I run, and in the excitement of finishing, meeting up with family, checking out the post-race goodies, etc. I have thus far neglected to stretch after all of my races. I sure do feel it the next couple of days and certainly the first time I run again after a race.
3) I like using the RunKeeper app to track my workout and record distances, look at splits afterward, etc., but turning off the audio cues is probably one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while. Previously, I had it set to notify me of time and distance every half mile and I believe now that it prevented me from settling into a natural pace and letting my mind drift off…

I went for a run tonight – 4 miles in just over 40 minutes. My legs were tight and I felt like I was plodding along the whole time, but I got it done and felt better afterward. I indulged in a solid 10 minutes of stretching afterward and felt even better. Refer to number 2 above for how I can likely alleviate this scenario in the future.

As you may have seen in the pictures, I didn’t wear my new compression sock for the race this past Sunday because they didn’t match the color scheme. I have, however, been wearing them around the house in the evenings and I wore them on the run tonight. I don’t know if it’s the placebo effect or if they really make a difference, but I do certainly like them.

The bright color makes me so happy!

Also, for some unknown reason, I have pretty much made a new goal for myself to hit a minimum of 20 miles each week. I’m currently in the 15-18 weekly range, so this isn’t a huge stretch, but it’s enough of a change that I feel like I’m challenging myself. I will be counting the mileage every Monday through Sunday, and this week is already off to a good start.

And finally, I leave you with something that always puts a smile on my face – pig corn holders!

Corn is just so much tastier with these little guys 🙂

Happy running!

Becky

Taking It Easy Before A Race

My 8 mile race is on Sunday and I’m getting really excited. There is just something about races that I absolutely love – it’s what keeps me going, what makes me feel like this is so much more than “exercise”, and what motivates me to keep at it because that next race is always around the corner!

I jogged a nice easy 3 miles tonight and won’t run again until race day. I will get out and cycle a bit between now and then, but I want to deprive myself of a run that would normally happen between now and Sunday so that my legs are itching to get moving! I have to admit that keeping a slow pace and stopping at 3 miles was somewhat of a challenge. I was sweating, but my heart rate was at a nice medium pace, my breathing was still relaxed, and I could easily have carried on a conversation the entire time. I guess this is a sign that my fitness has vastly improved from where I was last fall when I started running! I almost felt guilty for not pushing myself and getting off of the treadmill before I felt really spent. Crazy how that works, but I just reminded myself that I have a race on Sunday and need to treat my body right if I expect top performance out of it in 4 days. I finished the workout off with a solid 20 minutes of stretching – it was much needed after Monday’s inadvertent hill run!

I ordered a pair of compression socks online last week and they got here yesterday! These are my first pair of compression socks, and I must admit, I think I see what the hype is about. I am going to wear them for the race this weekend and will definitely be buying more. The best part is that I got 40% off from using a promo code my girl over at Shut Up + Run provided from doing a sock review for Pro Compression. Check it out and take some time to peruse her blog – she’s a bad ass! http://www.shutupandrun.net/2014/05/pro-compression-sock-review-and-giveaway.html

These are sure to make me run extra fast on Sunday!

Happy running!

Becky

Today’s run, new socks, new beer

I’m getting ready for an 8 mile race next Sunday, the Columbine Classic in Aurora, CO. My little brother is running it with me and I’m really excited about that! I’m hoping to convert at least one family member or friend into a running partner 🙂 Today’s run was a relatively “easy” 10K/6.2 miles. I say easy quotationally because I wasn’t pushing for a race pace, but somehow that distance is always kind of deceiving for me. I told Neal (my husband) when I got home that nearly every time I have run since my half marathon in early April, I find myself questioning at least once during the run “how the hell did I pull that [half marathon] off??”. Ah, mind games. Overall though, today’s run was good and I ran 6.21 miles in 1:01:33. The weather was nice, a bit overcast, so it wasn’t too warm. I wore a new shirt I got yesterday on sale for $9.95 (score!) and some new socks. I am mildly obsessed with fun knee-high socks for running (I’ll get into that in another post) and these just made me happy today:

Afterward, I made a delicious recovery shake that I just recently started making, which of course is now a new favorite.

And finally, it’s a long holiday weekend, Neal is actually taking a full 4 days off (yay!) and we have some beer to enjoy now. This is a new favorite of mine. I’m in love with all of the German style beers ever since our vacation there last October. Maybe I’ll implement retroactive posts from time to time to share some of the exciting events in my life over the past year.

Tomorrow it’s BBQ and beer margaritas with the family, can’t wait! Happy and safe Memorial Day friends!

Becky