Nashville Rock n' Roll half marathon

Yesterday I ran my second half marathon. Sarah and I have been training since January for this. Nothing could have prepared me for the course. It was the hilliest 13.1 miles I have ever ran.  I wanted to beat my time from my first half, but it just didn't happen. My official time was 2:23:03. 

Adam stayed home with Ella so I could go do this. He did a great job with her. I came home to a happy child and a clean house. I wasn't  expecting the house to be clean. It was wonderful.  Thanks Adam for supporting me!! 

Around 35,000 runners were there! It was pure madness. 

The Starting line! I was so nervous. 

I was so happy and relieved when it was over!! I am just glad I finished. I saw tons of people laying on the side of the road and on gurney's towards the end. Around mile 8 I noticed my ankle was bleeding, because my shoe was rubbing against my ankle. It was not an easy run! To top it off I was car sick almost the whole way home. That has happened both times. I don't think my body likes these long runs. :( 

The best part is receiving your medal at the end!! 

New swing set!

Sunday we decided to get Ella a new swing set since she was quickly outgrowing the one we got her last summer. Adam is on vacation this week so I'm sure there was nothing he would rather do than put together a swing set. He had a list of household things that needed to be done this week, but those were thrown to the wayside. Our main priority was the construction of this new swing set. 

Adam said it was only going to take him a few hours to get this thing done. The instructions said it would take two people 8-10 hours to get it completed. Little did we know it would end up taking 4 days. 

Day 1: 

We of course bought the swing set and started putting it together. Luckily, Adam's mom and step dad came over to help. I'm pretty sure they would have loved to turn around and go home when they saw all the wood pieces and hardware laying out. 

Some of the nuts, bolts, and screws...

After nap Ella asked Adam, "Need any help daddy?" She had her toy hammer and drill out there with her.

It ended up raining for awhile that afternoon, but we were back at it that night until 11:00pm. Thank goodness for instructions on the iPad and spotlights!

Day 2:

Ella decided she needed to help to speed up the process. 

Adam worked on the swing set most of the day and night. We were out there again until 11:00 Monday night. I was tired and over it by this time.  We were able to get the swings and the glider put on so Ella could at least swing on Tuesday. 

Day 3:

I woke up and realized I had a horrible rash. Come to find out I broke out in hives. Maybe I'm allergic to Ella's swing set!? Ha! Adam worked on it during the afternoon with his dad and step mom's help, but then we had a work dinner to go to so we didn't get it done Tuesday. Ella was thrilled with the glider though. I think it's her new favorite thing. 

Day 4:

Finally at 9:00 last night the swing set was completed!!! Adam is so over putting stuff together I think he could have blown his head off. Of course the tunnel slide was the most difficult thing to put together, and that was the last thing to construct.  Whose idea was it to get the one with the tunnel slide!? Oh yeah, I think that was Adam's. Ella absolutely loves her swing set so I guess it was all worth it in the end. :)

 DONE! I think I can speak for us both when I say, NEVER AGAIN!!

*We added sand to the sandbox tonight. Ella said, "This is the best sandbox ever." 

Vegas!

I have been meaning to post my Vegas pictures, but I haven't had time due to the swing set we have been building for three days now.  It's pretty much all we have focused our time on these past few days, and it's still not complete. We are almost done though. I will post pictures of it in my next post. 

Anyway, back to Vegas. Adam was out there for a Microsoft Conference so as a birthday present I was lucky enough to go for a short little trip.  The night before I left I had a meltdown wondering if I made the right decision to go. Ella had a hard time when we were in New York so I started freaking out. If I could have cancelled my ticket with a full refund I probably would have. I ended up going and everything went fine. 

The first day I was there Adam had classes all day so I just walked down the strip snapping pictures, and then I went shopping! They have a great mall there that was really close to our hotel. I had been once before so I was really excited to go back. I went to Forever 21 for the first time. I don't know what typical Forever 21's look like, but this one was huge. It was considered a department store there. Their clothes are so cheap. I was in shopping heaven. I also made my first trip in Lululemon athletics. I splurged on a jacket I had been wanting. It was my birthday gift to myself. I can't wait to wear it next fall/winter. After that I headed to the pool. Adam and I went to see Blue Man Group that night. That was also a first. It was a great show. I'm still disappointed that photography wasn't allowed during their performance. I did end up sneaking a couple of pictures. :) 

Canal Shops at The Venetian

 This is our room at The Venetian. It was so pretty and so nice. I especially loved the bathroom! 

 Adam and I before Blue Man Group!

I was obviously a lot more excited about this picture than he was!

On Friday Adam and I started the day with a Gondola ride in our hotel.  I think Adam thought it was a little silly when I mentioned it, but he ended up enjoying it! 

 The Venetian has live statues in around the canal shops. We sat and watched this guy for awhile. A guy got up on the platform to take pictures and didn't realize this was a person and not just a statue. He was so embarrassed when he realized. 

 Adam being Adam!

 Flowers in the conservatory at the Bellagio. 

 I finally got to eat at Serendipity! 

 Anyone who knows me well knows I love fresh mozzarella. This was the best sandwich I have ever had. I ate the whole entire thing! 

 A meal at Serendipity would not be complete without a frozen hot chocolate! 

 Fountain show at the Bellagio

 We saw so many interesting street performers. We also saw a lot of homeless people holding signs. Some of them said, "Not going to lie, need money for beer." My favorite was, "Kick me in the balls for $20." Seriously!? Someone said the guy had been kicked twice. What people do for money. 

 TAO Beach right outside our window. We could hear the music all day long in our room. It was just a bunch of drunk idiots dancing around in their swimsuits! 

One last picture on our last night! It was a great trip. It was short, but it was a nice break. I read a whole book in 24 hours. I haven't read a book in probably over a year. It was nice to relax and get away, but I was really happy to get back home!!