Congrats Chuck & Kristen!

About a month ago, Chuck & Kristen jointly called Frank & I 'to chat'. Odd that they both wanted to talk to us, but we didn't think much of it...Not more than a few minutes into the conversation, it was apparent why they both called...to share the exciting news that Baby McGarr is on the way!!!!!!!! Frank & I (along with a handful of others) have been sitting on this exciting news for WAY too long. After hitting their 13 week milestone, they finally told everyone, so I can officially, 'publicly' congratulate them!!! Baby McGarr (aka Buckets) is due 8/30. We couldn't be happier for you two! Take a look at Kristen's adorable shirt that she wore during the half-marathon:

NOLA

I've always wanted to travel to New Orleans, but Frank has 'been there, done that' and has no interest in a return trip. Lucky for me, Sarah signed up for the New Orleans Rock n Roll Half-Marathon and Kristen and I decided to join her! We flew down bright and early Friday morning (as in, we were at the airport at 4:30am) and started taking in all the city has to offer right away. We toured the French Quarter, Garden District, Frenchmen's Street, enjoyed the food, and, oh yea, ran 13.1 miles! (Side note on the race: The three of us completed in our BEST TIMES YET! Kristen completed her first half-marathon in well under her 3 hour goal at 2:35:22; I beat my old time by about 14 minutes, finishing at 1:52:46 and Sarah ran an amazing race, completing in 1:34:09! Yay ladies!!!) Here's a little scrapbook of our trip in pictures:

Snoverdose

I love, love, LOVE snow! Growing up in New Hampshire, I have so many memories of spending hours and hours outside playing in the snow, sliding, hiking through the woods to go ice skating on the lake, snowmobiling, 3-wheeling...I never thought I would tire of snow! Admittedly, the snow isn't as much fun as when we were young; Adults rarely get snow days; Errands and work must continue despite the weather.

When the meteorologists were calling for a large winter storm the weekend of February 5th, I was delighted! Even after spending 45 minutes standing in line at the grocery store Thursday night to pick up a few essentials, I was still eagerly awaiting the snow! I worked from home on Friday and when the first flakes started falling around 10am, I squealed with excitement like a little girl! I think I looked out the window every 15 minutes to check the progress. Had it started sticking the ground yet? By bed time, we had a good 8-10 inches on the ground with no end in sight. We woke up on Saturday to a winter wonderland! Close to 2 feet of snow and the flakes were continuing to fall! Frank and I geared up to head out and shovel. I was like a kid again, jumping into the snow piles, making snow angels, etc. By night fall, the snow had stopped but there was no sight of our neighborhood being dug out anytime soon! For Super Bowl Sunday, we had planned to go over to a friend's house, but since our streets had yet to see a plow truck, there was no escape from our block! Luckily our neighbors banded together at someone's house for an impromptu party. By Monday morning, I was itching to get out of the house and off of our street! My infatuation with the snow had run its course...I still had work to do on Monday...I was supposed to be catching a flight to Chicago for work Tuesday evening...The snow was now officially (gasp!) becoming a hindrance! By Monday afternoon, a plow truck finally came to clear one lane on our street, to at least make it passable...Finally, an outlet to the outside world! We made it out of the house Monday evening to meet up with friends for happy hour in Arlington. As most of you know, our area got hit with another massive snow storm later that week, dumping about another foot! I did manage to escape to Chicago and missed the second storm, but the remnant snow piles still remain almost a month later! As much as I love the snow, I think I'd settle for one good storm per year! Bring on spring!