NC State Fair 2012

Sunset at the Fair

Surprise Aunt Chrissy get's to
come to the Fair too!

The State Fair this year was another fun time with some of my favorite people!  Jason doesn't do the fair.  And honestly I love it!  Mostly people watching, maybe it's just because I get to spend time with one of my best friends and her family....whatever the deal I always have a good time.

We decide this year (like always) we would go in the middle of the week.  We choose Tuesday.  So after I work I ran a couple of errands and headed out to the fair.  I met the crew in the parking lot.  Said Happy Birthday to my friend (her birthday was weeks earlier...but she had been traveling), and headed into the fair!

Pete eating corn.

Nate eating his hot dog.

We had a great time looking as stuff and walking around the fair.  We ate at our traditional places, except the church spot was full up so we ate outside with take out from there....plus corn on the cob and super sweet lemonade.  Fun times were had!!  We saw the animals (no touching) and produce, plus all the police cars and vehicles.  It was a wonderful October night!  

Pink Shamrock 5K

This year I got to participate in the Pink Shamrock 5K that benefits a local non-profit 1 in 9.  The 1 in 9 organization helps women who are uninsured or underinsured deal with the financial burden of being diagnosed with breast cancer.  Nationally 1 in 9 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.  One of the dental offices that I work at has a doctor who just recently came back to work after battling it out with her cancer diagnosis. Our office decided to do this 5K and try to raise money for this great organization.  We raised over $3,000 and are continuing to raise more money as we can.  We just had a raffle for Zoom Whitening and I'm sure we'll have more things as the year goes on.  The office is mainly women (we have one guy who works there) so we are all about womens' cancers.

We met at the office and drove to downtown Raleigh for the race.  It was a cool and rainy day.  I think that kept a lot of people away...but not us.  We were pink and proud!  A big group walked the 5K and a few of us ran.  I ran with Jess....it was her first 5K!!  YAY!!  We had a great time as an office and raising awareness for breast cancer!

Trip to DisneyWorld with Special Olympics

So this summer I was lucky enough to be able to take a trip to Orlando for a special long course swim meet with our Special Olympics athletes.  The athletes had extra practices in a long course pool (50 meters instead of the standard 25 yards).  We fundraised for this trip....so THANK YOU to everyone who made this happen!!

Working and Sleeping
on the bus.

Coach Andrea with a cheesy
smile

The trip itself was a crazy wild ride.  We left on Friday morning early, and drove all day (making a pit stop and lunch stop along the way).  We made it to Orlando and got settled into our rooms.  We ate dinner as a group (ordered in pizza), and headed to bed.  On Saturday we got up and got ready for the swim meet, we walked to the pool (it was literally steps away from the hotel), and had an AMAZING swim meet.  After the meet (it was short) we ate lunch, and headed back to the rooms for some quite time.  We met up for dinner at Universal.  Sunday we packed up all of our stuff and loaded everything on the bus and headed to Disney World.  We spent the day in Disney, then headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and more fun.  Got back on the bus at 10 pm and headed back to Raleigh.  We got back to Raleigh at 8 am on Monday!  WHEW!!  It was a fast paced trip...but so much fun!!  I hope we get to do it again!!  The adventures we have are the Best!!

the Athletes before the meet.

NBA Restaurant at Universal 

Hanging with Goofy!!

The Castle.

Dinner at Downtown Disney - Earl of Sandwhich

A Weekend Trip

Sorry little blog, I haven't been very good at keeping up lately.  There are lot's and lot's of things to catch up on, but for today I'll focus on what's been going on recently.

***side note- I started writing this blog entry on the 12th of November, I finally finished it.

So for those of you who don't know we lost a sweet, smart, incredibly funny, tenacious, friend on Halloween.  Vashni fought valiantly against a cancer that she had beaten once, but could not overcome the second time around.  Vashni was someone who I got to know through a friend, so she was really a friend of a friend....until she was just a friend.  I'm sad I didn't get to know her even better.  Her amazing spirit was evident in the budding of our friendship, and then she moved to the D.C. area for job stuff.  I caught up with her via her blog.  Let me tell you...that girl could write!  She started her blog about being a step mom, that turned into a blog about her fight with cancer.  She was so amazing and she touched so many people's lives.  It was clear how many by the number of people who came to her memorial service last weekend.  To be sure there were many tears shed, but there was also laughter as we remember her quirky traits and happy attitude.  I feel sick that this sweet soul is not in this world to amaze us anymore, but I know that she is up there sending rays of sunshine down to us.  I know I have a guardian angel looking over me.

Jenn and Vashni after Chicago Tri

So last Saturday I rode up to the DC area with my friend Jenn to hang out with our other friend Krista, before going up to PA for the service on Sunday.  OMG- time flies.  I haven't seen Krista (in person) in YEARS!!  What??  Thank you facebook for letting the world keep in touch, but really??  I think it was like 6 years!  Krista, Jenn and I all did Team in Training (I know you notice a theme in my life), the second Azalea festival Sprint Tri Season (for me).  I felt an almost instant bond with these chicas and I'm so happy to still have them in my life.  Not only were we all embarking on more endurance craziness....we were (at the time) all like minded.  None of us were planning on having kids.  Since then things have changes....as things do.  Jenn and I have stuck with the plan (*winks*), Krista on the other hand and pull for wanting little ones.  She has a 4 year old boy who is the sweetest, a 7 month old little girl, and one in the oven.  Yup....things change.

When we got to DC, after my horrible navigating around the beltway and made it safely to Krista's place.  The kids were left with their dad and we headed out for a Girls Night Out!!  We had a fun time at Cadillac Ranch, where the girls surprised me with a little birthday fun.

After Mayo Lake Tri

We slept on air mattress that night....or rather I slept on an air mattress and Jenn started on an air matteress that was on it's last leg and ended up on the couch.  Neither one of us got much sleep.  To much on our minds.  So we both just tried to let our bodies lie still so at least some part of us was somewhat rested.  When we got up , we started folding up our sheets etc and working on putting away our sleeping arrangements when the 4 year old came charging out of his room (when his clock turned green) to ask us if we wanted to see his room, and talk and talk and talk.  I think they told him he couldn't come out of his room until the clock turned green (some nifty clock...and a system I think all parents should use).  He was so happy to have a captive audience that he about showed us everything in his room.  It was so cute.  Then Jenn and I took sweet Maggie (the dog) out for a long walk.  It was both for us and for her.  After a fab breakfast that was cooked by Krista and some Wii gaming, (I'm happy to say that I just barely beat the 4 year old.  *winks*) we headed out to PA.

Beautiful Vashni.

The drive back was a little somber.  Mostly because we were drained.  We stopped and changed into comfy clothes after the celebration of life, and drove on.  Well to be fair Jenn drove on.  Jenn drove up, and Jenn drove back.  Jenn got a new car 4 days before the trip.  It was a nice ride, but a little hard on the driver.  Lot's and lot's of driving.  We got "comfort" food on the way back (milkshakes and tuna melts).  We kept each other awake....sorta.  We made it to my home, and Jenn eventually made it back to her home.

Not exactly how I would of wanted to spend my birthday weekend, but at the same time I wouldn't of wanted to not be there to remember the sweetest soul.

Jenn and I at the Turkey
Trot, with Vashni shining
down on us.

I will think of sweet, funny, intelligent, AMAZING, Vashni as the sun shines down on me.  I know that she would not want us to dwell on the loss of her human body.  I'll think of her sending her love and encouragement.....I know I have a guardian angel watching over me.