Running Ragnar Great River

As soon as I finished my Tennessee Ragnar, I knew I wanted to do another one. One of the women on my first Ragnar team, told me they had spots left on her Ragnar Great River Team, which is a relay from Winona, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, that follows the Mississippi River. Since Adam has family and friends in that area, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a little trip together. I could run the race, and he could visit with his people. 

We drove from Alabama to Wisconsin over two days, spending the first night in Champaign, Illinois.  The second night Adam dropped me off in Winona to spend the night with my team, and he went on to Minneapolis to hang out with friends.

I was nervous as I didn't know anyone on the team but one other person, who would be in the other van. But I bonded with my team, by going to dinner with them the night before the race. Everyone seemed so nice, and I started to relax a little. 

We (Van 1) got up bright and early to head down to the start line. It was a beautiful venue on the river bank. Once our first runner was off, we started the process of leap froggin' with our runners to get to the next exchange point.

I was  runner number 4, and my first leg was 6.6 miles. I was happy when I took off to find that my pace was right where I predicted it to be. My leg ran by the riverbank and also through beautiful farmland. And I snapped a few pictures as I went.

I was happy when I finished my leg, and after all our runners had finished their first legs, we had some downtime as Van 2 was out running.

We stopped at a little restaurant called The Pickle Factory for lunch, and we then headed to our next exchange point in Stockholm, Wisconsin. We were there a few hours waiting for Van 2 to catch up with us.

Stockholm was this itty bitty town with the cutest little shops. I took time to explore them before catching a quick van nap. This exchange spot also had s'mores. I hadn't had a s'more in so long, and it felt like such a treat. 

It was dusk when Van 1 set out again. By the time it was my turn to run, it was pitch dark. My second leg was a little over 3 miles. I started on a big hill, which gassed me for a little bit, before I could calm my breathing. This leg was so dark at times, that I would feel a little nervous until I spotted another runner or van. 

At one point, I grew concerned because it seemed that a directional sign was leading us to run through a corn field. Another runner behind me was just as perplexed, we talked it over, but we decided to keep going straight (which was correct). I was so happy when I saw the lights and orange cones of the exchange point, since I was worried I had taken a wrong turn, which is my biggest fear during these events.

After our 2nd legs were complete, all my vanmates spread out where ever they could find a place, and we all tried to catch a couple of hours of shut eye. Although I never slept too deep, and I woke often, it was better than nothing.

As the sun rose, it was time for us in Van 1, to complete our third and final legs. Day 2 was noticeably hotter than the day before, so I was happy we got to run before the hottest part of the day. My last leg was my shortest, at a little over 2 miles. It was definitely more of an urban route than my last two runs, as we inched closer to Minneapolis. 

Once our entire van was through running for the day, we had breakfast at IHOP, as van 2 was completing their last set of runs. We took this pic to tease van 2, as earlier in the trip they had posted a picture of their selves eating a meal, but they had no food in front of them (obviously they were waiting for their food). So we said at least we all could afford our breakfast!

The finish line was in a park near the University of Minnesota. We had about two hours to kill until all our team would meet up at the finish line. Adam got to the park to hang out with everyone while we waited. We had blankets, and we just laid out under some shady trees to stay cool.

Finally our last teammate rounded the corner, and we were able to run across the finish line together.  It was another great Ragnar experience. 

Even though I was extremely tired (and probably smelly), I still wanted to hang out a little with Adam at the Mall of America after the race. I had visited there a long time ago (maybe 15 years ago), and I really wanted to go back. We did a little shopping, and we had dinner at the Melt Shop in the food court.

The next morning I caught a flight home, and I picked up my Linky from my mom's house, which he had been staying with (terrorizing her pet rabbit). Adam stayed on in Wisconsin for another week, visiting his family, before driving home.


It was a quick but fun trip all in all. And I'm still down for another Ragnar!

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Vegas Solo Yolo Trip: Part 2

During my 21st birthday trip to Vegas, somehow I didn't make it down to Vegas sign. And I know it's touristy and cheesy, but I just had to go.  It was really fun to see something you see in pictures and movies all the time. And in true tourist form, I wore my Britney Spears t-shirt, I had pre-bought before the concert.

After seeing the sign, I walked down to the beautiful Venetian hotel to visit Carlo's bakery. I used to watch the show Cake Boss all the time, and their pastries just looked so good! I was happy to find out they had a location in Vegas. I got two of their specialties, the cannolis and the lobster tail. Both desserts were amazing. But the cannolis rocked my socks off!

I really wanted to pamper myself this trip. So I booked myself a day bed at the pool. The adults only pool, which made me super happy, no noisy kids. I adore kids, but I don't like to be surrounded by them on vacation.  And boy oh boy, did I love hanging at the pool. I was there a total of four hours, and the waitress just kept bringing me frozen drinks. It was over 101 degrees, so I took frequent dips in the pool. And I loved swimming, surrounded  by high rises!

When I was done at the pool, I took the most glorious nap, before heading down to the mall in the hotel, where I had booked a blow out with drybar. I've always wanted to go to one of these. I loved the yellow decorative touches, and all their products smell so good. I even ended taking some products home with me. They brought me cocktails, while chick flicks played on the Tvs, as they did my hair. I loved my blow out, nice and straight with some wavy touches, and the style lasted so long. I felt pretty.

I was so excited when the concert rolled around. They had costumes on display from some of Britney's most iconic music videos. I also got a Pina Coloda in a souvenir cup which I ended up keeping, and I turned it into a vase for faux flowers in the craft room. 

The show was amazing, and I had excellent seats. I danced throughout the whole concert. She was just pure fun and it was electric. I was so glad I went, and it just made the whole trip. I would even go again, if someone would fly me out here. 

Below is a video from the concert:

I also scrap-booked this whole trip using the Project Life app on the plane, and I even had the print order submitted an hour after I arrived home. I mod podged memorabilia from the trip at the beginning and end of the album. Here is a little video flip through of the album:

The trip was everything I hoped it would be and a perfect weekend getaway. I'm looking forward to more solo trips in my future.

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Vegas Solo Yolo Trip: Part 1

I'm not sure if I have ever talked about how much I like Britney Spears on the blog. But I really like Britney Spears. That statement is something I would have been embarrassed to say ten years ago. But now that I'm 31, I really don't care, I own what I love, and I wave the flag proudly. 

I guess part of my love for Britney has to do with the fact that her celebrity status emerged when I was in middle school. I grew up with Britney. I legit remember listening to Britney Spears' first CD on repeat, while I was falling asleep most nights in the 7th grade. And now she is my go to artist for my workout playlists.  So not only are her songs catchy and fun, she just holds so much nostalgia for me.

I've known for a really long time that I wanted to see her in concert. When I read that she would be ending her residency in Vegas at the end of this year, I knew I had to go.  So I ended up finding a good last minute deal on a flight/room combo for labor day weekend. Which was a whirlwind, two weeks away.

I enjoy doing things on my own immensely, but I have never gone on a major trip by myself. Some people thought I was crazy, but I saw it as an adventure. Plus, this was my 2nd time to Vegas so I was somewhat familiar with the city, which made me feel more confident.

My travel day to Las Vegas, was a bit of a hassle. It was a few days post Hurricane Harvey, and it had finally reached our area, spinning off storms and tornado warnings. I experienced a 3 hour delay. I usually struggle to fall asleep on planes, but when I got on my flight close to 11p.m., I slept from take off to touch down, all four and a half hours. It was lovely.

I got in really late, and I grabbed my shuttle to my hotel, Planet Hollywood. I really loved that hotel and my room. I had a lot of space and the biggest  bath tub! I was starving, so I grabbed a Pink's hotdog at the hotel at 2 a.m. before going to bed. I love how Vegas is always hopping no matter what time of day.

The next morning, I got dressed and ready (played some penny slots, I'm not a big gambler), and grabbed a lyft to the Neon Museum. I had heard about the Neon Museum years and years ago. Which is a home for all the Vegas signs that are no longer in use. I just thought it seemed so cool! And it was. The hour long tour was so worth it, even though we were all just sweating bullets. That desert sun is no joke!

And just to advertise my total nerd status, after the Neon Museum I went to the Mob Museum. The mob was not something I had ever been interested in, but I do love all history. And I really enjoyed the mob museum. Not only was it about the mob, it covered a lot about this history of gambling and even Vegas itself. I spent a good couple of hours there. 

I had lunch at the Mickie Finnz down on Fremont Street. The fish tacos were really good, and I loved my fruity drink in the coconut head!

 

When I was researching options for my trip, and I heard about the huge zipeline (Slotzilla) over Fremont Street. I knew I wanted to try it. I did the highest level, where you zip superman style. I was super intimidated when I got to the top (it's much taller, than it appears), but once I was strapped in there was no turning back. I loved flying over Fremont Street! It felt like flying.

To me, the best thing about Planet Hollywood is that it is attached to the Miracle Mile Shops, which is a huge mall. So when I got back to my room, I stopped by the Lush store and got a few bath bombs. I went back to my room, took a luxurious bath, followed by a wonderful nap. Then I went shopping for real. Some of my favorite stores were Attic Salt and the Tervis store (I love my tervises). I also ate at Lobster Me for dinner, and got a cupcake shake from Sugar Factory for dessert.

Day one of my trip was a success. But I knew day two would be even better, with the concert on the agenda!

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A Weekend in Lexington

During the first weekend in June, my friend Lark and I took a weekend trip up to Lexington, Kentucky. We were there to eat lots of good food and tour a beautiful city. 

On the way up, we chitchatted about everything, and when we weren't talking were were jammin out to Ed Sheeren on Pandora & my Britney Spears playlist. It was silly, it was us, and it was a near perfect road trip.

Lark had heard from a coworker that there was a lovely farmer's market in Lexington, and this was our first stop, when we woke up on Saturday. We enjoyed browsing the vendors, and we drank boba tea and tried the maple apple butter biscuit. 

The main reason I wanted to go to Lexington was to visit the Mary Todd Lincoln house. Anybody who knows me, knows what a history freak I am, especially presidential history. So I definitely enjoyed seeing the home where Mary Todd Lincoln spent her teen years. I love old houses and old furniture. 

After we finished our tour, we drove over to Crank & Boom for some ice cream. Crank and Boom is supposed to be the best ice cream shop in the state of Kentucky. And it was super delicious. I had a scoop of Bourbon caramel in a waffle cone. And before we left the shop, we posed for a picture in front of their selfie wall.  

It was getting hot out, and Lark and I both love a little downtime on vacation. So we decided to hang out at the hotel for a bit after our stop at Crank & Boom.

We ended up having a delicious dinner at Middle Fork Kitchen Bar. There are no words to describe how much we loved it, especially those Vermont Cheddar Scallion Pancakes! Yum.

After dinner, we took a walking tour of Lexington with Dr. Coleman. It was so fun. He was a great story teller, and we learned so much about the "Wicked City." And Lexington is just BEAUTIFUL. And that picture of the door I took? Totally #doorgoals. 

On Sunday morning before we left town, we stopped by North Lime Coffee and Donuts, for coffee and donuts (duh). Espresso chip was definitely my favorite!

Lexington is such a mix of traditional Southern culture with a hipster quality, I would love to return and explore some more. 

P.S-I'm working on getting my blog up to date on some of the trips I've taken in 2017, hopefully I can. I miss blogging, just haven't been very motivated lately!

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