So many thoughts are swirling through my head and i only hope i can put all of it into a coherent paragraph. It has been an incredible 3 years and 3 months since i joined the Air Force. I don't think i realized just how much I've changed and become my own person until i re-read all of my blog posts from the beginning...how fun for me! And so enlightening! But before i touch on that...it has been almost another YEAR since i've written and a very eventful one at that. Though most of you have probably followed it all on Facebook, i feel i should do it justice by at least summarizing the craziness. :)
13.1 Been there, done that!
I did it! I ran my half marathon with my girlfriends and had a blast the entire time. I actually enjoyed the outfit as well. When they first told me that i had to wear a blue shirt and a hot pink tutu over my running tights i was horrified...turns out it made the whole experience even better. The "princess" theme was overwhelming and every single runner had some princess aspect incorporated..we were UNDERdressed! The best part was running through the castle which is usually closed to the public. For a girl that had never been to DisneyWorld, i relished my inner child and had a blast exploring everything Disney. :) It was a much needed breather from my daily routine of work, eat, sleep, Trauma.
Cherry blossom 10 miler-take 2
Finally! From the first year i arrived in DC i knew i wanted to run in the cherry blossom 10 miler. The first year i volunteered and got an automatic entry into the next year which i wasn't able to utilize do to my heart complications. Luckily for me, Rich and I won the lottery..literally..the race lottery is highly competitive and for some reason we both got picked! We had so much fun running together, though if i'm being honest, he ran circles around me. The half marathon was amazing but my quick training resulted in a huge PAINFUL heel spur making running much more difficult. Rich didn't train at all and still managed to "jog" next to me..lol! He was amazing and i'm just glad we were able to do something like this together. Afterwards we stopped by a city hot-dog vendor to celebrate :)
New York, New York!
With Rich deploying for the second time in two years, we made a point to see each other chance we got. In true Kara style..i wanted to make it super special :) Even though i had experienced a TON in DC while living there, i still hadn't been to New York...and neither had Rich. I managed to plan an amazing trip on a budget..complete with a bus ride from DC, a military hostel, a bus tour around the city, times square, statue of liberty, empire state building, and a lazy afternoon in Central Park. It was so much fun to truly get lost and experience the city with my love!
Roughing it
In addition to New York, Rich and i wanted a little taste of nature as well. We ended up hiking Old Rag mountain..a STRENUOUS hike in the beautiful Shanendoah with my wonderful friends Tiffany and Alex. We stopped at a vineyard afterwards and tasted the best wine i've EVER had...a bottle later and dinner at the beautiful rustic resort..we slept the night in a tiny cabin overlooking the ridge. Well Rich slept. I don't know what was going on with me but i was seeing creepy shadows and lights and COULD not sleep! i had to laugh..finally i turned the lights on and made Rich wake up! hahah...this girl is such a wuss when it comes to certain things. The next day we ate an amazing breakfast overlooking the hazy blue ridge mountains and I was reminded how much fun i have with Rich...though our times are few and far between. I was so excited to introduce Rich to another of my favorite activities..horseback riding! We went on a trail ride, which in all honesty was less than stellar as i had a horse that was a bit feisty and Rich had a horse that was practically asleep! All in all ...it was a fun experience :)
Only in DC
I have had my fair share of surreal experiences in DC but this spring i had two of the most amazing opportunities. 1.) I met President Obama..shook his hand and got my picture taken with him when he visited some of the wounded warriors to hand out purple hearts. For specific reasons i can't post the pic here. 2.) I got to randomly attend the spring garden tour at the White House with my friend tiffany. It was a random spring day and we happened to be one of the limited # of people handed tickets. what an amazing experience to tour the gardens and actually be able to TOUCH the white house...and see the snipers on the roof. LOl :)
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