Twenty-Eight

I've noticed that holiday weekends always seem to go by faster than our normal weekends, even with the extra day off.  Granted, long weekends are usually filled with friends, family, and amazing food, so it's worth the craziness and lack of sleep.  This Memorial Day Weekend was no different.

After looking at our wedding venue on Saturday, Scott and I loaded up the car and headed to my hometown to spend time with my family.  Per usual, Ellie came along for the trip.  She has always loved riding in the car so she settled in for the long ride.  The first half-hour is always a little crazy because she thinks we are going to the dog park so she was jumping around the back seat, unable to contain her excitement.  However, once she realizes that we are going on a longer trip, she usually calms down and enjoys the ride. 

The good news is that she loves to sit and look out the window which makes her a great travel companion once we get going.  You may notice that she is buckled in the backseat.  I take wearing my seat-belt very seriously no matter how short the trip, so Ellie's safety is no different than my own.  We bought her the Kurgo travel zip line and harness to keep her safe on all of our car rides.  I am completely in love with this travel system and even use the harness for our runs, so it has been well worth the investment.

Upon arriving to my parents' home, we spent the next 24 hours celebrating my cousin's high school graduation, visiting with my aunt from North Carolina who was in town, and ringing in my birthday with a family cookout.  That's right, this Sunday was my 28th birthday.  Man, I'm getting old!  I did get some amazing presents this year, even though I thought I was getting too old to receive gifts.  One of my favorites is this dress.  My sister, Christina, bought this for me for my rehearsal dinner next year.  What do you think of it?

While time with my family was great, we still had a lot on our plates this weekend so we headed home Sunday night to prepare for another busy day.  Scott's mom came over before bedtime to drop off my birthday present.  I know I mentioned recently that I have been looking for running tanks that are a loose-fitting for my runs now that it's getting hot outside.  Luckily, I have the best future mother-in-law ever and she found this gem for my birthday.  It's an Under Armor running tank that says "Race Ya".  I love everything about this tank.  The fit and weight is perfect and the bright colors are fantastic.  I'm dying to wear it out for a run and will definitely be wearing this in my next race.

We got up early again on Monday for another whirlwind day.  We attended a cookout at Scott's dad's home but our visit was short since we had to come home to prepare to host my birthday cookout with friends.  Many of our closest friends came over to celebrate.  It was the first time many of them had been in the same room together so it was nice that they could all meet.  In all it really was a wonderful birthday.  I am truly blessed with so many wonderful people in my life.

Turning another year older did get me thinking about what I have accomplished and what I have yet to do.  Therefore, I am creating a list of goals this year that I want to accomplish before my next birthday.  Please join me as I create my list of 28 goals and check them off before my 29th birthday.  Many of the goals will be running related but I will have some personal goals as well.  If you have suggestions for goals that I should add to the list, I would love to hear them.

Heather