I'm not dead.... only nearly dead.

I promise I'm still here!

Just busy, as always, I suppose. 

Sooo let me outline last week for you. 

My brother decided he wanted to go to e.f.y with my younger cousin....

[ps that's code for teenage summer church camp]

when they checked him in last Monday.

[mind you, he was supposed to run the "Ragnar" on Friday]

So my mom told him if I would take his place in the race, he could go.

Let me give you a run down of what exactly the Ragnar is.

It's a relay. But a distance relay. And not just any distance relay. 

a one-hundred-ninety-something mile long distance relay.

So I said yes. with no real training to speak of. or idea what was going on. or time. 

[duh. why wouldn't  I say yes.... right?]

so maybe I'm crazy, but it was so much fun!

Everyone runs three separate legs and there are markings for their levels of difficulty.

easy--moderate--hard--very hard

Mine were Very Hard, Hard, and Hard 

For a total of.... [drumroll please...]

18.8 miles. in the ballpark of 25 hours.

excuse me for being so excited about all of this. but I was.

but never fear!! I wore earrings and pigtails the entire time.

and got to see beautiful mountains and blue skies

and spend time with wonderful new [but not new?] friends in a van full of sweaty runners. 

mmmmm can you say quality bonding?

and see really....memorable.... outfits

 

and find out that other people use the term "hot mess" too.

and they are as big of Harry Potter fans as I am!

 and finished something I never could have by myself.

Just a few of the things I learned this weekend

1. When I'm nervous and it's 3AM, I have no filter.

2. Maybe I never have a filter.

3. I love the song Bebot by black eyed peas.

4. Sleep is great, but you don't need a whole lot to run 7 miles. Adrenaline is beautiful.

5. Most of the battle is in your head.

6. Age doesn't matter when it comes to friendship.

7. I have a really cool mom [I was the youngest on the team and she was the oldest]

8. JUST DO IT.