The fun, fun Color Run!

On Saturday, November 17th I ran 3.10686 miles. I had hiked 30 miles in recent weeks, but I hadn't run in months. And I never have run more than 2 miles...ever. Shh, don't tell anyone, especially Rachel.   Hi Rachel. :)

Needless to say, I had a bit of anxiety about the November 17th run. I would dream (even have nightmares) about running. Honestly, I could have trained, but I didn't. Papers, Vito's shifts, scrubbing toilets, pooping the dog, rinsing dishes pre putting them in the dishwasher, hiking, plucking my eyebrows, and a long list of other things were the priority. Anything, anything at all, but running.

Deep down, I want to be that person running down the sidewalk in twenty degree weather. I want to have that level of devotion. But hell, I'm still the kid that replaces meals with Dairy Queen blizzards. I'm skinnier than I've been in years and healthy by default.

I am now more motivated than ever to start running. JK, I just said that because it's cliche. I hate running with passion. But I love the post-running feel and the status of being a runner.

Me: "Oh, yeah. I just went for a run."
Someone else: "But, Aimee! It's the snowpocalypse outside. It's thunder-snowing!!"
Me: "And?"
Someone else: "Wow, you're really cool."
Me, in a nonchalant voice: "Eh, just another day in the life of a runner."

I want to be able to have that conversation. Maybe I'll start running. Sure, I'll start running? Running would serve Rex a wealth of good, so I should probably stop being selfish and throw on those running shoes. And some spandex...definitely some spandex. And maybe a cute headband, too. After all, running at or around JMU is a fashion statement and so is The Color Run. I wish I was the one wearing a tu-tu and funky aqua glasses, but I'm not. I did sport a beanie with a sweatband over top, though.

But, honestly, no run around the Friendly City (including one which occurs during the fictional snowpocalypse accompied by thunder-snow) will ever be more fun than The Color Run. At every K interval, I had 6-8 people throwing colored corn starch at me.

It looked something like this:

At one point, I even laid on my back and made a color angel.

Attractive, right?

And at the finish line, everyone threw up packets of color.

Yay color!

The run was fun, especially because of the company...old friends, new friends, some guy in zebra-print high heels, and 19,994 others.

I also raised some money for a great cause--Habitat for Humanity--and so did the people in the picture above, so no complaints there!!

I learned this lesson, though: Running through colored corn starch after recovering from a virus produced very violent coughing fits and very colorful snot (ewwwwwww). Lucky, for you I have no videos or pictures documenting that.

Music with Mosby

On Sunday, October 28th, I attended the Music with Mosby event at Barren Ridge Vineyards in Fishersville, VA.

The wine was delicious, but the cause was better: creating better lives for our four-legged canine friends.

The event, complete with great music, great food, great wine, and great costumes (for dogs), was a fundraiser for The Mosby Foundation. 

Though I loved the wine, the costume contest was my favorite. If you look real hard, you can see a witch, a pumpkin, a banana, and a Milkbone. There was also a prisoner, a cowboy, a gargoyle, and more. 

Warning, these photos aren't my best because SURPRISE! dogs tend to move a lot when you try to take their picture. 

Check out that cute little devil!

And this good witch!

I mean, it's all fun and games until somebody puts a pug in a bikini top and a tu-tu...

All jokes aside, The Mosby Foundation arose from a most awful tragedy--the senseless shooting of a family pet: Mosby. In honor of Mosby, Mosby's human mom started an organization that raises funds to help in the care of sick, abused, and neglected dogs.

I worked with Mosby's human dad at the JMU Math Department when I was an undergrad, and hearing his family's story broke my heart. As a bleeding heart animal-loving tree-hugger, I can't imagine why anyone would senselessly murder such a sweet animal. But those type of people do exist. 

That same type of person bound a malnourished four-week old puppy to a hotel balcony in the middle of the winter--Rex. Brad and I are so lucky to have been able to bring Rex into our little family. But there are many Rex's in this world that we cannot help, which is why The Mosby Foundation is such a great organization. 

Thank you, Mosby Foundation, for all that you do! Readers, if you're interested in donating, check out their website. 

Research?

When research is a trip to West Virginia, I'm not going to complain.

Last Saturday, I went to Kayford Mountain in West Virginia to see the effects of Mountaintop Removal Mining. But Mother Nature had something different in store for me. Because of a dense layer of fog, I could only imagine the devastation. I couldn't see it.

So, I am writing this paper about Mountaintop Removal Mining for my Legal Writing class. I'm not sure what angle I'm going to take on the paper yet. I'm talking about how storytelling motivates policy change, but because of the timing, and the mood of the weather, I might take a spooky/Halloween-esque approach.

Like mountaintop removal mining as the environment's Horror Story. Dun, dun, dun. I don't know. It's a thought...

What I know is this: I did a looooooot of trespassing on private property (e.g. coal mines) last weekend. And I'm very, very, VERY lucky, I didn't get arrested. :) I'd like to think Mother Nature had my back, 'cause she did.

Here are some pics. I'm sorry I'm not going into too much detail. Think of it as a cliffhanger. It's like when the audience knows the killer is behind the door, but the main character doesn't. Okay, maybe I'm stretching. But still.

Bittersweet October

"Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.” - Carol Bishop Hipps

Backpacking Trip Overview

On Saturday, October 20th, Brad and I went on our first vacation. It wasn't to an exotic beach in the Caribbean or even a touristy beach on the East Coast, but that didn't matter to us. For the first time in our almost eight years as a couple, we finally got to do what we longingly saw others post about on Facebook all summer long.

As I poured my soul into the final preparations of my comprehensive exam, Brad meticulously examined his topographical map of Shenandoah National Park. For days, I would find him at the kitchen counter or on the bed with a compass, a ruler, a pen, and his map trying to figure out the route for our vacation--a 3-day backpacking trip.

For 3 whole, beautiful days, we would travel by foot on a hiking route that Brad pieced together, and our destination was the North District of Shenandoah National Park.

Day 1

On Day 1, we hiked up on Knob Mountain and hiked down to Jeremy's Run.

That night, we set up camp on the banks of Jeremy's Run,

filtering water from the run to use when cooking dinner: leftover snacks (e.g. granola bars), mashed potatoes, Ramen, and hot cocoa.

It was cold. Real cold. Wearing multiple layers of clothing, including Army-issued neck gators, nestled in our warm sleeping bags, we taught each other how to play cards. I taught Brad how to play golf, and he taught me how to play poker.

Several times that night, something woke me up--an owl hooting close by. I didn't even care that she deprived me of sleep. Her call enchanted me.

Day 2

In the morning, we made some oatmeal for breakfast and then broke down our campsite. After filtering some mountain water for the hike ahead of us,

we took off on the trail. We hiked up, up, up to Neighbor Mountain, a mountain devastated by a wildfire this past summer. The charred trees were surrounded by new growth.

After hiking up Neighbor Mountain, we hiked up another mountain. And another mountain. Then we hiked down to Thornton River and bushwhacked into the backcountry along Piney Branch. I loved our campsite. It was legitimately in the middle of nowhere.

That night we fell asleep early and woke up many times. But again, the lack of sleep didn't matter because of the beauty that surrounded us. When I opened my weary eyes each time that night, I didn't look up to see my closet door or a sterile white stucco ceiling. Instead, I saw a blanket of stars covering the night sky.

Day 3

Day 3 was bittersweet. We missed the Poops (of course) and showers and deodorant and toilets, but there is something about living off the grid that frees our souls. Watching a falcon soar across the sky or a deer leap through the crunchy, leaf-ridden forest floor is special. It's sacred, and so is waking up to a hooting owl or a blanket full of stars.

Eddie Vedder captures that feeling well in his song "Society," which is from the Into the Wild soundtrack.

We wanted to capture that feeling in a picture, so using a rock and timer mode, Brad snapped a shot. And it's a photograph that I will cherish forever.

On the final hike of our vacation, we ran into something we didn't expect to see an old, but well-kept cemetery beneath a grove of trees. The changing leaves gave an orange cast to the burial place even though the leaves look yellow in this first picture.

While exploring the cemetery, we stumbled across this:

It pains me that others had to suffer, so I could enjoy this playground. Hippies hate hurt. Just ask anyone who knows me. But I am so grateful of the mountain people's sacrifice. These mountains give me peace. I just hope the mountain people found their peace after being displaced from such a sacred spot.

The cemetery was along Keyser Run. After we left it, we tackled Little Devil's Stairs, one bitch of a hike but completely worth the pain and sweat. Imagine walking for miles up the steepest stairs you have ever seen while surrounded by a wild canyon and gorge. These pictures cannot even begin to capture this stunning scenery.

The whole trip was wild, wonderful, incredible, and unforgettable.

"Aim, it's Tibbet Knob."

A couple of weeks ago me and the boys hiked Tibbet Knob trail in the George Washington National Forest. Brad said that I can't blog about stuff that happened two weeks ago. He wasn't the one with the comprehensive exam, three papers, and two annotated bibliographies due, so he can bite me.

The Tibbet Knob hike was a fun one, not too difficult with a well-marked trail and spectacular views. In talking about it, I may or may not (stress on may) have referred to the hike as Tibetan Mountain. Always the voice of reason, Brad's like, "Aim, it's Tibbet Knob." Ummmmmmmmm........

Anywho, only 3.1 miles long, Tibetan Mountain? was a nice leg stretcher and a beautiful spot for a picnic lunch. I don't know what it is but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches taste so much better when you eat them at a place with a view. Rex thinks so too. In the first pic he's thinking, "Mom, I hate you. Where's my sammich?" and if you look real close in the second pic, you can see the drool dripping from his mouth.

At this particular summit--post-picnic--is where we first experimented with the panoramic feature on my iPhone camera. The details of the hike aren't as fresh in my head (yeah...two weeks...whatever, Brad), but the pictures are still spectacular. No credit to us, though, Mother Nature did all the work.

And we'll conclude with a random photo of my new friend, Mr. Grasshopper.

The end...two weeks late.

The Old Mill: A New Favorite

I didn't believe Brad's sister, Ali, when she said, "It's Cracker Barrel, but better." Ali was talking about this restaurant in Pigeon Forge called The Old Mill. I figured it was good, but I was skeptical about the Cracker Barrel comment.

How can you get better than Cracker Barrel? The tea, the biscuits, the cone-bread, the dumplins, the mashed taters. Then there's the service. The stars mean something. I can't count the number of times that I have eaten at Cracker Barrel, but I can count the number of times that I've had bad service. Can count those times on one finger. Yes, I said finger.

Well worth the twenty minute wait for a table, The Old Mill is now a new favorite. Ali nailed it. It's Cracker Barrel, but better. Cracker Barrel may have the golf tee game, which does keep me entertained for a while, but what Cracker Barrel doesn't have are black bear salt and pepper shakers.

On the menu that day (or at least the menu I made for myself) was...

• Sweet tea, our waitress ended up leaving us a pitcher to save herself several refill trips
• Corn chowder
• Hushpuppies with honey butter
• Fried porkchops and gravy 
• Mashed potatoes
• Fried okra
• And a biscuit that melted in my mouth 

I consumed more calories in that meal than I typically do in three days. But the food baby I carried around for hours after was totally worth it. And so was all the hiking I had to do to shed those extra pounds. 

Moonshine Tasting

I tried moonshine for the first time on my 23rd birthday, and I wasn't a fan. It was plain moonshine. Like you'd have plain cheesecake except it wasn't as good as cheesecake. Not nearly as good as cheesecake, so I figured I wouldn't ever try moonshine again.

Then I went to Gatlinburg, TN with Brad, his sister, and her boyfriend. And a Southern man in coveralls with dollar bills stuffed in the middle pocket served us twelve different kinds of moonshine. I can't remember them all, but I do remember my Top 3.

1. Raspberry
2. Apple Pie
3. Blackberry

Sunday Funday back at the beautiful log cabin we were staying at was out of the question. Gatlinburg is dry on Sundays. How this place got around the whole tasting thing, I do not know, but buying an over-21 souvenir was strictly forbidden. Mega lame if you ask me, but I'll look on the bright side..saved me an awful morning after.

Time Out

Sometimes I wonder why I work three jobs, go to grad school, and have an internship. Then I remember that someday I will get paid to hike and write about it. Someday, I will be Brad's sugar momma. Until then, I will be equally as miserable as Maxine unless, well, I'm far, far, far, FAR away from society and anything that runs on a battery except my camera.