Weekend of Repurposing

Friday afternoon Molly and I went to a few estate sales in Columbus to see if we could score any goodies. And we sure did!

The first place we went had stuff, but not much. Mostly garage stuff. Lots and lots of nails for like $.25/box. And tools.

The second place we went was our goldmine! They had so much pretty stuff. If I was a millionaire I would have told everyone to get out of the house, that I was buying it and all the furnishings. Then I would have redone the house to fit my style of course, but I loved everything about it. It reminded me of grandparents. Not mine necessarily, but I know that house was where someone my age grew up visiting their grandparents. Maybe. More on that later. :)

Molly found a reclining chair that she liked for $25. She plans to recover it in cheetah print fabric. And I found a couch that is so comfy and LONG in a pretty mint green/aqua color for only $100. It was $145, but I talked them down. There were lots of other lovelys there, but that's all we got.

Saturday after my race, Mom, Molly and I went to Amish country in Northern Ohio. We went through lots of antique malls and I found lots of stuff I wanted, but didn't buy anything. Pinching those pennies for the cruise this summer. We did eat at Der Dutchman and it was delicious.

Noodles!!!!

Molly with her noodles!

The couch I bought with some pillows on it. need more.

Mixing bowls I found in Berlin, but didn't buy. If they would have had S&P shakers, I would have gotten those.

Wax paper and foil dispenser in one of the estate sales. I also found a letter inside this, that was old and looked like hate mail from the wife to the husband!!!

Iron hook I got for my back porch. I'm trying not to look 'crazy cat lady' just more like 'Fishes Eddy'.

I actually went to the estate sale three times. Once with Molly, once to pick up the couch and once with Cara just to look around again (We biked there from Grandview!). Lots of bargains. Estate sales make me sad because of all the stuff that once belonged to someone and people are just coming and taking. But at least the five things I bought will get a good home. Ha. And I may have gone so many because one of the guys working was a hottie!!! :)

Race for the Cure

I participated in the Columbus Race for the Cure again this year.

I ran in memory of Grandma Primer. She was a breast cancer survivor in 2000 at 90 years old! (So was her twin sister Annie!) :) So it is very special that I do this race in memory of them.

Running for a reason, or someone, is always more motivating than just running for fun. Even though I know I should be running for myself in all my other races (and practices), but I just don't.

This year my plan was to run with Cara. It was going to be her first 5K since she started running a few months ago and I was excited to run it with her. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to her before the race started, so we got separated. Bummer. But I ran the race by myself and all was good. I didn't PR, but I didn't stop either and it was an easy race for me. My side never hurt, I never felt like stopping and even thought I hurt my knee again a few weeks ago, it didn't bother me either. Score!

My time was 35:34. That's slower than the Dogwood 5K I did back in April (33:34), even though I walked in that one. But like I said, I had the hurt knee and I didn't ever feel like I was killing myself, which definitely happened at the Dogwood.

There are a few more races that I want to do this summer. I'm planning to run the Dash for Donation with Stephanie and her friends and family in memory of her little Addy. I'm looking forward to that because I haven't seen them in so long.

I'm hoping to find a cool race to do in Washington DC sometime this summer or early fall. How amazing would it be to be running and pass all the monuments? Anyone know of anything like that? :)

And now a few pictures from Saturday's race. I didn't take any from the actual race, which is the opposite of last year when I was snapping them the entire run.

All finished with my sign that I didn't actually wear, but had tucked in the band of my shorts.

All the peeps at the finish line!

Meeting up with Jess and Cara, Junior League friends.

And, the Dispatch did a video from the weekend and Michele is in it at the 1:51 mark hugging her friend and a breast cancer survivor. So many touching stories from this weekend and I'm glad to be a part of such a meaningful race!

That's actually her you see on the screenshot with the hat on hugging the lady in the pink!

CEDAR POINT!

Friday was Ohio State Day at Cedar Point. I had never been before, so I was excited to go with some of the students. You know, they needed me to 'chaperone.' :)

I was also super excited to ride the rollercoasters. I've only ever ridden the ones at Magic Kingdom and that was back in February, so I wanted to ride 'real' rollercoasters. 

 

Me and Snoopy at the front gate.

Jill and I met Charlie Brown.

As soon as we got inside the group wanted to ride Millenium Force. I had no idea what that ride was, so I went for it. OMG! Definitely much different than the runaway train at Magic Kingdom! lol.

I rode down that drop!

 Unlike at Disney World, you aren't allowed to take pictures of your photo from the ride off of the screens. My bad. I only got yelled at for it four times! :)

The one time my hands were up in the air and not gripping the handle.

 I still cannot believe I rode that! I wasn't a bit nervous though. It was a good thing for me to just get straight on the ride and not see what it was doing or where it was going beforehand.

The next ride we did was Magnum. I didn't know anything about it before and it was ok, but definitely too up and down for me.

Pre-ride.

We survived, barely. :)

 Then we ventured in to kiddie land and rode the Woodstock Express. This was equivilent to the coasters I rode at Disney World.

Jill and I got brave and sat in the front seat! haha.

Risk takers right there!!

Punished!

 I also rode the Blue Streak, which is the oldest coaster there. I did not enjoy it. It was a wooden rollercoaster and my head hurt so much be the time I was only halfway through. Again, it was too much up and down.

Everyone made fun of me for screaming on the rollercoasters, so on this one I recorded me. I sound like I'm getting murdered. ha.

We also did fun rides, like the horse race, the old fashion cars and the ferris wheel.

At the derby.

Trolley.

And the highlight of my day, getting my picture with Aaron Craft. Could he be any more precious?

 

Love for Lenzelle too.

 Overall I had a great time at Cedar Point and want to visit again sometime to ride more coasters! Maybe even one that goes upside down? :)

Success!!

High Street Lunch Tour

Thursday was the first stop on the High Street Lunch Tour with my co-workers and friends, Adam and Jill. It was decided that we'd start at High Street and Lane Avenue and work our way south through all of the restaurants that we haven't been to before. The rule was if all three of us haven't eaten at a restaurant, we go. So we will skip those chain places like McDonald's and Wendy's. We're not going every day, just once a week. I'd be broke as a joke if it was every day. I'd also gain 400 pounds.

Our first stop, since we'd all been to Noodles, was Diaspora, a Korean and Japanese Restaurant. I like Japanese steakhouse food, usually because I get steak/chicken and rice. I'm not a sushi fan AT ALL! I also eat Chinese food, as long as there is a buffet type thing that I can see to pick and chose what I want. Ha.

I was not a fan of what I got. It was labeled as "Beef and Vegetables" so I thought it would be something like stir fry. Nope. It was ground hamburger with a mix of veggies that I definitely don't eat - pickles, carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms. Yuck. And there was a fried egg on top. Eww. The lady even told me it was a favorite. Who did they poll?

Not my ideal lunch at all.

We even had to eat with chopsticks! And this nasty, nasty sauce on my dish (thanks to the waitress). Jill got fried veggies and Adam got spicy tuna sushi.

going out of the box and eating new things

Next week we'll hit up the next restaurant. We figured out that the next five places on the list that we haven't been to are either Chinese or Japanese food. This might be a long month of May for Jill and I.

Greatest Show on Earth

Last night Molly, Jill, Suzie and I went to see the circus in Columbus. The last time Molly and I went to the circus we were wearing matching Osh Kosh B Gosh overalls with giant white bows in our hair. Needless to say, we were still little kids! :) Suzie had been once when she was really little as well and this was Jill's first time.

Molly and I were auditioning to be in the show!

To say I sat on the edge of my seat would be an understatement! I was literally sitting on my knees like a five year old the entire time! I don't know what was more exciting, the girls hanging by their hair spinning in circles from the ceiling, the people being shot up in the air and caught, the trapeze people or the lions! It was just an amazing show!

Opening act!

I don't know if I would take my kids though, they would have to be older. There were some parts that were scary. Like when I guy fell of his horse and almost got trampled to death! Yeah, that happened. And the whole dragon theme of this circus was a little scary for me. I don't like dragons, so I could have done without that. But I did learn that there are three different circus shows that travel (red, blue and gold) and we just saw one of them (blue). Yes, I went home and wikipedia-ed the circus to learn all about it. #nerdalert

Cute elephants!

It wasn't very crowded, so at the intermission, we moved down closer to the floor for a more up close view!

These girls in the air fascinated me.

3 graduates

Molly, Tyler and I are all now official college graduates. My cousins Kate and Lauren will be finishing up their degrees in the next few years and then my grandparents will be 5/5 for grandchildren graduating from college. Not too shabby.

Let's rewind to the family pictures from yesteryear.....

2007, I graduated from Ohio State. I didn't really get many good pictures from that day, but this one of the family is nice.

Tyler finished in December 2010, but walked in May 2011. Mom and Molly went more blonde and I'm ghostly pale.

2013 Molly graduated from Ohio State. Tyler disappeared from the picture because of Soccer, Mam took his place, Mom's hair is longer, mine is short and dark and dad is a lot more gray. And thankfully I look way more stylish and happy than either of the photos before.

Very proud of my little sibs for their accomplishments. I know they'll go on to do great things.

Dogwood 5K

I ran in my third Dogwood 5K on April 27. I wasn't as prepared as I was last year and it showed by how I was a little slower than I had hoped, but even with a few walking breaks (yes, I walked) :( I still finished at 32 minutes. I want to break 30 so bad. Why do I get lazy and walk?

This year Payton didn't run with me because of her injury, so I didn't have anyone to pace me and I'm pretty horrible at that myself.

But I got it done. It was my first 5K of 2013, the 6th one I've ever done. Not my best time, not my worst time.

Somehow running 13.1 miles at Disney seemed a lot easier. I think it was because there are soooo many people running then and at the Dogwood there is a group way ahead of me and a group way behind me.

Rheadon and I after we finished. He basically could have lapped me.

With the Dogwood Tree in front of Mom and Dad's house.

And to remind myself of how far I've come in relation to running and just life in general:

Dogwood 5K in 2011

Dogwood 5K in 2012

Dogwood 5K 2013 (forcing Lori in the picture)

OSU Alum

My sister graduated from THE Ohio State University yesterday. I could be more proud of her for being the little sister that she is and for marking her spot within the College.

I don't have to worry about her leaving me just yet. She'll be back in the fall to continue her education, so I can hang out with her for another year! Yay!

Graduates walking in.

Everyone in their seats.

President Obama was the speaker!!!

She's got it.

With proud mom and dad.

You show 'em how to graduate!

Me and Suzie.

Me and Julie

They crack me up.

Love her.

After graduation parties are always fun! :)

Fairy Godmother

When I became a godmother months ago, I asked that Layton call me his Fairy Godmother. If he would say it with a British accent, that would be even better!

I don't understand why everyone gets this picture in their head when they hear 'fairy godmother.' Thanks Cinderella. 

Are all fairy godmothers chubby old women that always look mad?

A quick trip home earlier this week gave me time to play with my boy. He is getting so big. I can't believe he's already 6 months old today!

I look forward to spoiling him for the rest of my life. I just wish our visits were more than once every few weeks.