Connections Brunch & Good-Bye Tri Season Ending Dinner

Sunday was a busy day!  We hosted a party for our Connections Team in the church offices during the second service.  Just a relaxing time with food and an ice breaker (which we really didn't need as they are all very social people) which helped us get to know a little something we hadn't about each other.  We also had some visitors who were either spouses, friends or just other volunteers from church.  Had a lot of fun!

Then, later that night......

Dave and Tom

We wrapped up our Triathlon season with a dinner hosted by the lovely Francesca and attended by most of our awesome team.  We had a blast just laughing about our shenanigans, our triumphs and mess ups.  Had a great potluck meal.  We took baked potatoes with toppings and seven layer dip & chips plus I had some leftover goodies from our Connections Party in the AM so I took those as well.

Kathryn and Coach Kristen

Jason & Nicole

Coaches Kristen and Angie

Ty, Rick and Kelly

Anne-Marie and Rob

Our hostess in red and wearing her awesome finishers medal

Kristen with Kody who actually never trained but showed up to races!

Nicole with me.  We had similar times so we were racing buddies.

Jenny and Coach Ben

 Kristen had made a bunch of cute awards and we each got at least one.  Very funny.

 We're going to miss these guys because some of them we don't really see during the winter.  NCC is a big church and has seven different locations so we're kind of spread out.  We're thinking we'll have to do some get togethers just for fun in the off season!

Happy Fall Y'all homemade trail mix we took for everyone.

Shelter Fall Foliage Tour Bike Ride

Tom had been looking on Craigslist for a road bike for me and finally found one we thought might be  good.  It's a Scattante which is a really good model and seemed that it would fit me.  We drove to Rockville to meet the guy who was selling it.  Turns out he's a cyclist so bought a really nice bike for his wife but she just wasn't interested in biking.  Apparently took it out once and within a few miles was done with it.  Anyway, I rode it around the parking lot and it felt really good.  REALLY light, a padded seat, not a weird body alignment like that Tri bike I rented and it's in really good shape.  So we got it for less than half what he paid for it and he threw in the clip pedals (which I'll probably never use) but are like $70 alone!

 We had already planned to do a long ride the next day so the bike was going to get a good break in.  We got up very early to drive the 90 minutes to Easton, MD.  This wasn't a race, just a ride and for a good cause.  We did the 32 mile ride that was so beautiful and the weather was just gorgeous!

 Some of it was farmland, some was beautiful foliage and some was along the Chesapeake Bay.  But no huge hills, just mostly flat with some rolling hills......

 This was the 10 or 11 mile mark where the first rest stop was.  They had volunteers there with bananas, oranges, candy, granola bars and gatorade for us.

                    We kept stopping along the way to take photos as there was so much to see.

 At the second rest stop they were making sandwiches for us.  You had your choice of toppings : peanut butter, jelly, Nutella, raisins, nuts, toffee, m&m's, candy corn......yeah, the list goes on and on. More like a frozen yogurt bar!

 There was also a 62 mile and a 100 mile ride.  We were kind of wishing we had done the 62 because we felt so great when we finished!  There was live music, pizza, beer, pasta, sandwiches, soda and pie at the end of the race along with cool t-shirts and free swag.  We spoke with one of the bike marshals who told us many churches in the area provide facilities for the homeless there.  They alternate every three weeks setting up cots and temporary living facilities in their churches and the congregations bring food for the folks staying there.  That's why it's called the Shelter Fall Foliage Ride.  We would definitely do this again if the weather was as wonderful as this day!

I absolutely LOVED my new bike and sent an email to the guy who sold it to us, thanking him again. Told him what a great ride we'd had and he congratulated me on already putting more miles on it than his wife ever did!

Susan Campbell (no relation) and the Girlies Come to Visit

So my crazy friend Sue calls me Friday at just about the time I think she'll be getting on a plane in SLC to tell me it turns out her flight is actually the next day.  She's discovered this as she gets to the airport.  Her niece has recently become a flight attendant and Sue has her companion pass, so she's just learning the ropes of this flying stand by thing.  She will let me know when she is coming in.

So Saturday she calls as she is running down the concourse to tell me she is hoping to catch the plane that will bring her into BWI later that afternoon.  After that has been confirmed, I plan to meet her plane at Baltimore.  As I'm sitting in the call and wait lot for her, she sends me a text that says her flight is in and she's going to hop the train to DC?  What?!!!  "Oh no you're not!!!", I text frantically.  She seems amazed that I am there to pick her up even though I have told her I would do this very thing.

She has asked if I wanted anything special from Utah so I asked her to grab me some Real Salt (which is made in Utah and is the most amazing thing ever!) but instead of bringing me a small shaker she brings me all of this.  Flavored, seasoned, kosher, regular.....Gotta love that girl!

So we have just enough time to fix a quick dinner and dash to the Metro to go to Union Station to meet her god-daughter Kate who is coming on the train from Philly.  Because it is the weekend the Metro takes FORever but we finally arrive to find Kate happily sitting in the Great Hall people watching.  Back on the Metro and head home as we've gotten word that Sue's niece (the flight attendant) is on a flight into Dulles Airport in VA.  We get back to the apartment and get Kate settled in before Sue and I hop in the car and drive the 45 minutes to pick up Kealy.  Back after midnight and straight into bed.

Kealy, Kate and Sue

 Tom had to work the Army Ten Miler on Sunday so we got up at 4:30 so I could take him to the Pentagon then I went back for some quiet time.  The girls all got up and decided they wanted to go to church with me so off we went.  Great sermon about how our actions reflect Jesus, and great music so it was wonderful.  Kate's first time in church so that was especially nice.  I was working the Connections Table so between shifts we walked to Eastern Market for some shopping.

Lots of cute hippie skirts to be found so there was some awesome shopping going on.  Auntie Sue was handling instruction of the intricacies of wrap skirts.

Headed back to Barracks Row for a leisurely brunch at the Banana Cafe which is just across the street from church so I could run back and forth.  Plus the Marine Barracks are there so they could check out some cute young men.

Next we opted for a drive through of the District so they could get an overview of the city.  Sue had worked as an intern at the Supreme Court back in the day so we definitely had to see that!  We drove around all the monuments then headed toward Georgetown.  Sue kinda had her heart set on a cafe she used to go to all the time when she was here but turned out it was long gone.  Instead we just drove by the campus and showed them the cute cobblestone streets then headed out on the gorgeous George Washington Parkway which is just beautiful right now with all the leaves changing.  The weather was absolutely perfect!  After several hours they were all ready for a nap so we headed home to rest and regroup.

When these girls nap....they NAP!  They didn't get up until after 6pm so we decided to go to Old Town Alexandria for dinner because there was another place there Sue wanted to visit.....Hard Times Cafe and their world famous chili!  AND they had a headless horseman out front.....

 Had a great time walking up King Street and just peeking in the windows of the beautiful shops before walking over to Christ Church (George Washington's church when he was in town) and checking out the grave yard.....

We left Old Town and headed back into the district.  It's so gorgeous to see the monuments at night and there are fewer drivers.  Tom and I took turns driving and dropping the girlies off so they could go see the memorials.  They were completely mesmerized and thought it was all so awesome!

 It was after midnight when we got home so we all headed to bed.  Monday was Columbus Day so Tom was off work.  The ladies were supposed to be deciding what they wanted to see that day but when they finally got up and saw that it was a gloomy, rainy day....they decided they would take off for the next arm of their trip (driving to NC to look at a college for Kate).  Plus I think they were a little overwhelmed by all we had squeezed into one day!  After our little breakfast bar we drove them over to the rental car place down the street and they took off for their next adventure.

 Bless Tom for being such a great host to three women he's never met before.  Sue and I have been friends for many years through work so though he knows of her, he'd never met her.  But you throw in a twenty-something and a hippie teenager.... that's a lot of talking, giggling, yoga-ing, and hormones floating through the apartment for my dear introvert.  He had a good time though.