Gorgeous Weather

I believe Spring has finally sprung. For the past 2 weekends we've had absolutely gorgeous weather. That means that we've been able to get out and about, getting things done and having fun too.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at Thistledown for Ohio Derby Day. At first we were fish out of water. Not really knowing what's going on, how to place a bet, or when things got under way. We were just going with the flow. In all honesty we still don't understand it all, but we still had fun and even more fun trying to figure it out together, and enjoying the sun. Watching the horses makes me miss having a horse. But reality kicks in and I realize that's not the lifestyle I want to live, having an animal depend on you even more than a cat or dog, nor could we afford it. We didn't do much else the rest of the evening but hang out with the kids in the backyard, soaking up more rays and enjoying what's around us.

This morning we got up at a decent time and went out for a good run. David stuck with me for most of the run. This helps me keep a good pace, but boy does it kick my butt. We took a mid-run "break" taking a hike down River Ave, checking out the canoe launch area. We had been there in the winter for a city clean up but hadn't been back since, so we took a side jaunt to check it out. It was much greener this time around, which also meant more wildlife. Some wildlife I don't really want to see, including snakes. Yes, snakes. As most of you know I have a phobia of snakes. As we walked along I saw one slither across the trail. I just screamed, started shaking, and didn't know what to do with myself. I sped up my pace but within a couple minutes we decided to turn around. I was nervous as all get out and actually was holding on to David with my eyes closed. I started to calm down and tried making light of the situation singing, "Snaaaake, Snaaaake, ooh, it's a snake!" from the online video I've told you about before. Well, as I was starting to sing, my funny, "Snaaaaake...." it turned into a frightened, "SNAKE!!!!!" as I saw another snake coiled up on the side of the trail. My nerves were completely on edge to the point of wanting to vomit as I continued to shake. I was determined to get out of there without seeing another one. The beginning/end of the trail is a wooded area. I had hoped there wouldn't be snakes in the area as they tend to want to sun themselves out on the rocks. Yeah, not so lucky. Out of the corner of my eye I saw snake jump and slither away, more than likely scared of us. This made me jump out of my skin and scream once again, making David do the same. Mind you, he's not scared of the snake, but I scared the shit out of him. Needless to say I booked it out of there and didn't look back. Never again will I enter that path again. Thinking back, we used to go out to Sheldon Marsh quite a bit and never thought about having this issue. We haven't been there in forever, but after today I can't see us going there anytime soon. I'm kind of bummed because I used to think of myself as a nature lover. Mind you, I'm not the rugged type but I still like to get out, hike every so often, and check out all the wildlife. Yep, guess I'm not as much of a nature person as I thought.

After we finished up our run we worked on the yard for a bit, knowing that Cedar Point wasn't open yet. We trimmed all of the bushes and I edged. It was turning out to be another beautiful day.

Mid-afternoon was spent at Cedar Point riding several rides and walking the park. The joy of having season passes means we can go over there for an hour or two, ride a few rides, and leave if we want. Today's rides were Blue Streak, Magnum, and Mean Streak. Blue Streak kicks your but. We ride it at least once a year and every time we get off regretting our choice. It's so rough. Not only on your back, but on you chest area, if you get what I mean. I don't even attempt to hold my arms up. They're trying to secure my extra baggage. Magnum was cool. It's also getting rougher as time goes on but still enjoyable to ride. I can't believe that I was in kindergarten when it opened. That's crazy. And even more, that it was the tallest rollercoaster. Ha. On to the Mean Streak. I had never been on the Mean Streak before. Can you believe that? It's true. I had heard so many horror stories about how rough it was that I never wanted to give it a chance. David had been on it, but it was years ago and he stayed away from it for the same reasons I did. We figured today was our chance since we had already had our bodies rattled on the Blue Streak. We walked right on (as we had also done on Blue Streak and Magnum) and it took off. The first hill gave us a run for our money and we found ourselves looking at each other making faces of, "What have we done?" After the second hill I heard David yell, "Keep your back off the back of the seat!" So I leaned forward a bit and found it to be much more enjoyable. Once again, I had issues with my extra baggage, but nothing like the Blue Streak. It may sound crazy but we both found it enjoyable and will probably ride it again. I guess it's all how you ride it.

The rest of the afternoon was once again spent chilling in the backyard with the kids. We're laying low tonight, getting ready to head into our "summer running schedule," which means waking up before work to run. Although we dread getting up so early, once you get into a rhythm it becomes tolerable and quite enjoyable. As you run in the peace and quiet of the morning it's an even bigger stress reliever. That also means you don't have to try fitting it in after work. With the weather finally taking a turn for the better we thought it was about time to start back on the schedule. Hopefully it will help with consistency in schedule and running with David regularly again will help with my pace.