Minor Post-Race Pain

7 a.m. on Sunday, with tea in one hand and a sign, "Run, Go Charlie" in the other hand...I found myself yelling, "You are almost to the top of the hill. Only 12 more miles. We are the slackers and you runners are the rock-stars." (I would get a few laughs and even some heckling after shouting that one.) Charlie trained for his first half-marathon, Athens, GA's half-marathon. This was not an easy flat road race, if you know Athens at all you know that it is rather hilly (lots of hills). Mile 12 was perhaps the hardest uphill battle (so cruel of race directors). My friend, Sarah, and I cheered him along at the 1, 5, and 11 mile marker and screamed especially loud as we saw him run into the finish line with a crooked smile on his face. Charlie was well trained and experienced minor post-race pain.

Goodbye Colorado, back to Georgia!

Ah, whenever I go back to Colorado it is a breath of fresh air and I feel rejuvenated. Here are a few more photos from my trip. Hangin' with the family in Boulder...and the infamous little Terrier, Stewie (my sister's dog), sucking on Charlie's Ohio hat that was sweaty (and dog-licking delicious) from training for a half-marathon.


I know that someday in the future my life adventure will take me back to Colorado...but until then it is a great place to visit while on vacation.

Oscar Blues Brew

Our last day in Colorado we stopped in at the Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont. For some reason Colorado tends to be a mecca for micro breweries:

• In all, there are roughly 100 breweries statewide, the majority of which are found in Denver.
• In 2007, Colorado was named the nation's top beer-producing state, surpassing California.

As a beer connoisseur and home brew master, Charlie was in heaven. We tasted many of the creatively named brews: Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chubb, Ten Fidy, and Mama's Little Yella Pils. After a few tasters and a bucket full of peanuts, one of the bartenders took us on a personal tour of the brewery. In 2002, a dude, Dale Katechis, living in Lyons, Colorado (population 1,500) began brewing up his first beers in a CAN. Yes, a micro-brew in a can. Why cans? “We thought the idea of our big, luscious pale ale in a can was hilarious,” recalls founder Dale. This little home grown "canned beer apocalypse" has won many accolades and business continues to grow. These days we can even buy Dale's Pale Ale in the local liquor store in Athens, GA. But, the alcohol has a bigger impact when at altitude...ask Charlie.

A Colorado Wedding with Hats!

Blue skies, sunshine, a brisk fall breeze in the air, pine trees, and a vista overlooking the city of Boulder accompanied a beautiful wedding ceremony on top of Flagstaff mountain at 6,850 feet. The beautiful bride and her hunk-a-hunk-a-burning love were serenaded with bagpipes and birds singing as they walked down the dirt aisle. The officiator, our dear friend Brent, eloquently led the ceremony and before we knew it the bagpipes played as the couple kissed.









The reception was held at the swank and historic Boulderado hotel. A delicious dinner with sea-bass and eggplant Parmesan, followed by a to-die-for chocolate wedding cake accompanied bottomless glasses of wine. So, yeah...the fun began! In true Liz & Aaron style, buckets of hats, wigs, beads, and masks were set out by the dance floor and before you knew it pirates, pimps, buffaloes, and even the Pope were dancing up a storm. At one point I overhead the bride talk with her father about the time, he was having such a great time he said, "Let's extend it by a half-and-hour." The dancing went on and then the party train moved downstairs to the Catacombs bar, our old stomping grounds.

Rehearsal Dinner On Tap...

I have to admit when I received the purple and orange home-made wedding invitation in the mail
I wasted no time before booking my flight to Colorado.
Liz (Lizard) + Aaron (Kess-love)= hitched!
Lizard and Kess are dear friends from my days at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We have experienced many mountain (and city) adventures including a few epic winter hut trips (imagine snowshoeing/skiing into a hut six miles in the back-country with 60 lb. packs on our backs). Good times! So, it was no surprise to enjoy their rehearsal dinner in true Lizard & Kess style, at a local brewery in Boulder, Avery Brewery. Wahoo's fish tacos (a local Colorado specialty) were served up with India Pale Ale as whiskey barrels of beer lined the walls. After a slide-show, the bride and groom continued to entertain all with a few face shots of cake. (Better to do it before the actual wedding!)

Happy Birthday little Jack!

My college-aged neighbors in Franklin Residential College (FRC) coordinated a birthday party for a young man, Jack, of 7 years. Jack and his parents used to live in the very apartment that I now call home. Thus, little Jack Toma is a popular little guy with the college students who live here. On his birthday, he had his own field day, orchestrated by the FRC student leaders, on Myers Quad, right outside the FRC. Water balloons were flying, freeze tag was in full effect, and the aroma of birthday cake and pizza filled the air. Little kids birthday parties remind me that life can be just that fun...and I have decided that for my next birthday party I am having an adult field day, complete with three-legged races, egg toss, and freeze tag. Because, why not? As adults we become so stuck in the confines of adulthood. When was the last time you got grass stains during a wicked game of freeze tag?

Partyin' Like it's 1980-1990!

Dress-up theme parties never get old and they make for great birthday celebrations. A few of our PhD colleagues were celebrating 30 years and so we decided to throw a party where everyone was invited to don apparel from the 1980's-1990's. Gorbachev was not invited, but his presence was certainly felt as his picture hung proudly on the wall. The evening attire included tie-dye, Fame-style big sweatshirt and legwarmers, gold lamet jacket, big hair, a bowl haircut, black and white checked suspenders and matching shoes. The music of the 80's and 90's got everyone off of the couch and dancing to the sounds of Prince, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Cure, Vanilla Ice, Beastie Boys, Whitney Houston, and Boys to Men. I love that, even in our 30's, we are still having wicked dance parties. Happy Birthday Yarbrah & Scott!

Blue Ridge Parkway...Incredible!

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from North Carolina to Virgina. It is considered to be one of the America's most scenic drives through the mountains. On our way back to Georgia, we decided to drive a portion of the Parkway. Incredible! 75 years ago, as part of the New Deal's work program to employ citizens during the Great Depression, the Parkway was designed and construction began in 1935. In 1987, the "missing link", Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, was constructed and the parkway was completed. The incredible thing about this parkway is that the scenic landscapes were preserved, so in the distance all you see are layers of mountains. Amazing vistas and more butterflies!

Great Smokies...CHEESE!

We stayed in the super cheesy town of Gatlinburg. For some reason, Southerners think it's cool to "bling" out mountain towns with such things as Dollywood amusement park, Ripley's Museum & Moving Theatre, Hollywood Wax Museum, and indoor putt-putt golf. As if the mountains were not entertaining enough...

One night we decided to partake in the cheese and came home with an old-time photo, hill-billy style! I have to admit...it was pretty fun and the photographer helped us "ham it up" as he kept calling me "mama" and Charlie "pa". We chose the moonshine scene, as it was very appropriate! In June, Tennessee moonshine went legal and the first (legal) distillery opened in Gatlinburg.

The Great Smoky Mountains: Vacation!

After two months of studying in a cave...it was time to breathe some fresh mountain air. The weekend after comps, Charlie and I drove three hours north to spend time in the Great Smoky mountains in Tennessee. During the day, we spent our time hiking trails with butterflies dancing around us and wild blueberries and blackberries on the side of the trail. The Great Smokies are different than the Rocky mountains; the Smokies are much older, hence worn down and not as rugged. And, the Smokies sit at a lower elevation (6,000 feet vs. 14,000 feet), so the foliage is different. But, they are still mountains and I am still a mountain girl...thus, I wore a perma-grin the entire weekend.

Comprehensive Exams: Celebration!

After ringing the bell, we ventured across the street to the downtown Athens area for a little celebration with tequila and red-velvet cake (what a pairing!) Relief. That was the one word we all kept saying...relief! So happy to be done. After a few hours, the fatigue began to settle in and the lights were out before 10 p.m. A full-nights sleep never felt so good.