Spring Break!

We have had a fabulous spring break here in the cold midwest. Even though it might be cold outside, we have received so much warmth from our family, which has made the trip so awesome.

Chicago. I loved the city and had a great time. I am even more thankful that I got to experience it with my husband and his parents. We all had so much fun. I would say my favorite part of Chicago was the people watching and the eating. We never had a bad meal. I was taken aback at the amount of black worn by Chicagoans and the hurry that they always seemed to be in. I also loved watching the taping of "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me", a favorite NPR show of ours. It was hilarious. If you listen on Saturday you might be able to hear us laughing.

Ashley and Andre. If you want to meet two standup people, I will introduce you to these two. They are my brother and sister in-law and are both so fun to be around. We have watched them grow up into these really cool people who never cease to amaze us every time we see them. It has been so great to see them, they are two of my favorite people in the world.

Eating. I haven't been eating like a runner this week, I can say that much. But I have had some delicious food. Delicious. We ate at this precious place called "The Bongo Room" one morning for breakfast that was so cute. I had an omelette with spinach and chicken. I drank a TON of coffee which was awesome. We ate at Harry Caray's, the famous Cubs announcer's restaurant. I had a chicken vesuvio sandwich, also very good. I drank coffee there too. I have been splurging a lot this week, but it was a vacation and I know I will get back on the wagon once I get home. It was ALL worth it too.

Weather. Before we left for the midwest it was 80 in SATX and I thought, "I will welcome some nice, cold weather." Well, cold weather is just what I got. I would say the weather in Chi town bordered on bitter. Forget running outside. Forget about it. I didn't bring my cold weather running gear and I wasn't about to run without it. Too cold.

Running. I was able to run three times indoors at the YMCA here in Ankeny. I ran three and a half miles the first time and had to stop due to severe calf/shin pain. However, the second time I was able to complete four miles and it felt really good. No pain and I didn't even get tired throughout. Today I ran another four miles and it was a little tiring. I think it was because I skipped three days running and my eating wasn't that great. I got through the four miles though and that was good. I can really tell I'm getting better at running long distances, in my head and in my body. My heart is really good at beating, my lungs are really good at inflating and my legs just keep on kicking. When we get home I'll be ready for longer distances and more speed work.

Basketball. One of my favorite parts of this trip is that every time we have gone to the gym, MGK and I have played basketball afterward. It has been a lot of fun spending time with him like that, chatting and shooting around. I also have to say that shooting with him made me remember how much I enjoyed playing basketball. Mostly though, it was fun to play basketball with my husband. When we buy our house, a hoop will be going in on the driveway for sure.

That's all for now. I hope all of you have had an equally fabulous week, even if you didn't spend it jetsetting around the midwest.