Zoo Run Run

Nashville Zoo - Zoo Run Run

I've been running 5Ks in Nashville for about 7 years now and I'm progressively getting faster.  It's been a long slow process for me.  I have been able to increase about 15 to 30 seconds each year.  This past Saturday, I set my fastest time for a 5K.  25 min 25 seconds for a pace of 8:05.  I must be completely honest and admit that I hoped all the girls I saw finish in front of me were younger or older and I had somehow won my age group.  I was imagining the prize to be a chocolate elephant or a giraffe head!  But to my disappointment I was beat by none other than "christie beth adams".  I say it this way because this girl beats me in every single 5K and not just by a little.   If you notice, by an entire minute per mile!  I don't know how she has time for all this running.  And she always enters her name in all lowercase letters.

After a little research, I find that she is co-owner or something at Fleet Feet Sports here in Nashville.   I guess the chocolate elephant will have to wait until she decides to move or have babies.  :/

Zion, Bryce, Havasu and In Between

For as long as I can remember, I've had a strong desire to see every nook and cranny this world has to offer.  You could tell me it was the most miserable place on earth and I think I'd still want to go there.

I'd love to mark off lots of places in the US before expanding out, but other countries often call my name and you just have to let things flow the way they want.  Due to my love for travel, here is my first TRAVEL POST.

This past summer...late summer...I had the opportunity to visit Havasupai Indian Reservation and added Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park onto the trip.

HAVASUPAI 

To get to the falls, you hike 10 miles from Hulupai Hilltop down a dirt and gravel road (also a river bed during heavy rains) to the village of the Havasupai Indians then continue 2 more miles to the campground and Havasu Falls.

Havasu Falls is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.  The water is so blue...I thought all the photos I had seen before were photoshopped, but no.  Calcium occurs naturally in the water and the deposits cause the coloring.

Hiking through the brush to the next set of falls

PAGE, ARIZONA

  

Horseshoe Bend wasn't very adventurous as far as the hike out to it, but definitely worth feeling "touristy".  

Lake Powell

BRYCE CANYON

This is a great place to see if you just want to drive straight up to the attraction.  It takes literally, zero hiking to see the most amazing colors in stone formations.  These crazy formations are called hoodoos and the early Mormon settlers to the area would allow cattle to graze in the valleys between.  Talk about losing a cow!

The famous Thor's Hammer

ZION NATIONAL PARK

I drove into this park during the sunrise hours.  We left Bryce around 4:30 in the morning to get to Zion first thing and start our hike of the Subway.  The drive in from the East was spectacular.  You come through the famous Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel completed in 1930 and wind down a road into the valley between the mountains.  The sun was just peaking over the edges of the ridgeline and casting amazing shadows on the stone to the west.  I tried to wake Jesse from his slumber, but he was pretty exhausted.  I owe him big time for taking the first driving shift and allowing me to experience that God-proof moment.

       

  

I must admit that while hiking the Virgin Narrows was one the most different and exciting things I've done, it was also a bit unnerving.  There were flash flood warnings out for the day we hiked this and while it didn't rain on us while hiking, there were storm clouds looming the entire afternoon.  The rain hit while we were camped out up on a little dirt mound above the flash flood line.  The muddy water you see me hiking in is the day after the rains.  The day before, the river was so clear we could see the bottom.

Our last night in Zion we sat and admired the view.  A sidenote:  everything in the dessert will attack you.  Never try to wear flip-flops or walk anywhere barefoot.  Even the most inconspicuous plant has spikes and teeth.

We ended the trip with a drive up the west side of Zion to go Rock-Hounding in the backlands of Utah and then finished up with a relaxing day in Vegas.  If you can imagine Vegas being relaxing at all.

I would highly recommend seeing this part of the country whether you consider yourself an adventurous soul or not.  You can't look a single direction without seeing something that baffles your mind and causes you to wonder at the mighty creativity God encompasses.

Facebook Strike

Facebook and the New Year...

So for the start of the new year I've decided to remove myself from facebook and it's many distractions.   And these are not positive distractions.  I have not committed myself to staying off of it for a certain amount of time, because I don't like setting goals that I can't meet.  My main reason is that I found myself checking it immediately when I woke up in the morning.  Before I would even get out of bed, I checked facebook to see if anything exciting happened at 3 AM.  But did I really care what happened in the middle of the night?  No, not really.  I think it was more a way for me to just have something to do because being completely still is no longer acceptable in this world.

So about being "completely still"...it is in those moments that I meet God face to face and I'm able to hear what he wants from me.  I am able to connect to his VERY SILENT plea for me to be close to him.

My friend sent me this after I told her I was closing my facebook account.  It cracked me up and is pretty true for most of us I imagine.

If getting off of facebook brings about nothing more than me spending more time focusing on the good things God has provided me, it will be well worth it!

Goodbye 2013!

My friend just sent me this ecard and I had to share.

It might be the best ecard I've received, ever!   And that's probably because of where I am in life right now.  2013 certainly wasn't my best year.  There were fun times, but overall, it wasn't what I expected.  It's quite possible 13 really is an unlucky number or I just lost the motivation I needed to see my goals through to the end.   I did get a few good starts and I'm excited about 2014 and the many things swimming around in my head that I want to accomplish.  I just hope I don't lose my motivation.

Good luck to everyone on the upcoming year and keeping those resolutions!

Happy New Year!

Etsy

I've decided to start an Etsy page!   My shop name is ButtonUp Zenobia.   So far I only have one item for sale, but hopefully there are more to come soon!  Thanks in advance for checking it out!

the birds and bees baby shower invitation

HPW, WDW

Jesse and I have been dying to go to Harry Potter World ever since we found out about it.  We finally made that trip in early August.  I'll agree, not the best time to visit Florida.  The heat is a little over the top, but with the way the weather has been going in TN, it was no different than being at home.

It was even better than we had expected!  The craftsmanship (not sure if that's the right word for it) was unbelievable.  The buildings in Hogsmeade looked just like I had imaged they would.  And when you entered into that section of the park, you couldn't see any surrounding areas, so it was like you had just stepped into another place.

I love roller coasters.  Sometimes, they give me a headache if there is too much jerking around, but I still have the desire to ride it just to find out.  Jesse decided on this trip that he does not like roller coasters.  He's more of a water park guy.  So we spent a few hours at Blizzard Beach on our last day in FL.  And if you didn't know this....if you stay at the water park for less than 4 hours, they will give you a rain check to come back another day of your choice. 

The only picture we got of the entire weekend, since neither of us thought to take a camera.

Not really the most flattering picture of either of us, but I think the expressions on our faces tell the story of the entire weekend.

Side note:  If you are ever in Orlando and have a few minutes to drive somewhere good to eat, try out Yellow Dog Eats Cafe.  We loved it!

Funny and True

Fripp Island

So the family headed out to Fripp Island, SC this year for vacation.  I must say, at first, I was not excited.  The entire island itself is basically one big golf resort, and seeing as to how I don't golf anymore...well, yeah.  But it turned out to be lots of fun.  The beach there is amazing and there is so much wildlife!

A few pics, since I didn't take many...

YAY!

Flowers for me...

From...

Super Sprint

This past weekend I finished my first super sprint triathlon.   It was super fun!  Jesse came out and cheered me on along with our friend Ryan and his dogs.   It started with a swim, then the bike and ended up with a run.  None of it was very long, but it was definitely an experience trying to switch from one to the next as fast as possible.   The name of the race was the Ramblin' Rose, which I thought was totally appropriate for a female tri.  Can't wait for my next one!

The one non-blurry shot Jesse captured.  I think it's time for a camera lesson...or maybe a new lens.

But notice how I'm the only thing in focus, which could only mean he was panning at the same speed I was riding....possibly one of the hardest photos to take!  Maybe the other shots were just too elementary for him.