That Time I Relaxed
After a busy week at work last week we headed to West Virginia for the Veterans Day holiday weekend. One of my co-workers asked me on Friday if we ever stay home, and the answer is no, not really. I love our busy life, and stopping really isn't an option. Sometimes, however, I run out of steam. That is what always happens in WV.
So we spent the long holiday weekend in West Virginia visiting my parents and watching Mountaineer football. Being at my parents' house is the only time I REALLY relax. When I'm at my own house I can come up with 1,000 things to do - laundry, cleaning, organizing, anything. At my parents' house I read. And sleep. A lot. It's truly my most relaxed place, and it's where I can completely recharge.
We arrived late on Friday, and I pretty quickly settled into my near comatose mode of relaxation. We brought our dogs this time, and it's the only time they get to sleep with me (my husband sleeps in the other guest room). I love our pups, but I seriously do not understand how people sleep with their dogs. I do it rarely (generally only at my parents'), and I feel like a contortionist trying to fit myself around two giant dogs. They aren't very concerned with my comfort (which is also why I will also refuse to allow children to sleep with me. I like sleep.)
On Saturday morning my husband and I went for a leisurely run on the Mon River Trail near my parents' house. It's one of my favorite places to run in Morgantown and one of the only places in the city that is actually flat. Despite the cold morning there were lots of runners and bikers on the trail. Unlike my other post-marathon runs it felt good to get back out there. My IT band was a little tight, but not overly painful. This run truly did feel like coming home.
Saturday afternoon mean tailgating for my beloved Mountaineers before they took on the Texas Longhorns. It was a night game, so we were able to spend the bulk of the day relaxing (i.e. me basically sleeping) before heading out. We tailgated with my cousins for several hours before the game, and it was a blast. My dad has three siblings, and cousins from three of the four kids hung out before the game. It was so much fun to see everyone, and it's definitely something we will do more frequently. I wish I could say the game was that much fun. It was for a lot of it, but my Mountaineers lost in overtime.
The beauty of being in town for an extra day mean Sunday was an extremely lazy day. We watched football, relaxed, and did a whole lot of nothing. I rarely do that, and it was exactly what I needed.
That all changed Monday morning when I headed to the Evansdale campus for a run. I love running on campus because it's extremely hilly. Generally I'm running there when the students are gone, and I found myself motivated by sprinting past college aged girls up the hill to the engineering building. For the record that hill is probably a quarter mile long at a relatively steep incline. I couldn't breathe for several minutes after I got to the top, but it was totally worth it. A serious hill workout is a fabulous way to start the day.
After my run we headed to Coopers Rock State Forest for our Christmas card photo shoot with the fabulous Brooks Photography. Lisa is a long-time friend of my sister's and of the whole family. Her photos are amazing, and my husband humored me by taking the dogs to a shoot. The dogs only lasted two photos (they don't like to cooperate), but we had a great time in a beautiful location. I am a touch obsessed with Christmas cards, and I insist on making it a whole thing every year. And let's be honest - I love having my photo taken. It was a wonderful way to cap off the weekend.
We headed back to Michigan and drove into snow on the way there. It's getting to be that time of year when I'm pulling all of my winter running gear out of the drawers and going through multiple hats and gloves each week. As much as I get frustrated by the length of Michigan's winters, I do love running in the cold. It's the bright spot to every cold day. Now it's time to plan a warm weather vacation during this winter before I go insane...yes, in November. I'm also looking forward to my next relaxation stint in Morgantown in two weeks for Thanksgiving.
So we spent the long holiday weekend in West Virginia visiting my parents and watching Mountaineer football. Being at my parents' house is the only time I REALLY relax. When I'm at my own house I can come up with 1,000 things to do - laundry, cleaning, organizing, anything. At my parents' house I read. And sleep. A lot. It's truly my most relaxed place, and it's where I can completely recharge.
We arrived late on Friday, and I pretty quickly settled into my near comatose mode of relaxation. We brought our dogs this time, and it's the only time they get to sleep with me (my husband sleeps in the other guest room). I love our pups, but I seriously do not understand how people sleep with their dogs. I do it rarely (generally only at my parents'), and I feel like a contortionist trying to fit myself around two giant dogs. They aren't very concerned with my comfort (which is also why I will also refuse to allow children to sleep with me. I like sleep.)
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| Yes - this is how I slept for three straight nights. |
Saturday afternoon mean tailgating for my beloved Mountaineers before they took on the Texas Longhorns. It was a night game, so we were able to spend the bulk of the day relaxing (i.e. me basically sleeping) before heading out. We tailgated with my cousins for several hours before the game, and it was a blast. My dad has three siblings, and cousins from three of the four kids hung out before the game. It was so much fun to see everyone, and it's definitely something we will do more frequently. I wish I could say the game was that much fun. It was for a lot of it, but my Mountaineers lost in overtime.
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| Jones cousins and Mountaineer fans |
That all changed Monday morning when I headed to the Evansdale campus for a run. I love running on campus because it's extremely hilly. Generally I'm running there when the students are gone, and I found myself motivated by sprinting past college aged girls up the hill to the engineering building. For the record that hill is probably a quarter mile long at a relatively steep incline. I couldn't breathe for several minutes after I got to the top, but it was totally worth it. A serious hill workout is a fabulous way to start the day.
After my run we headed to Coopers Rock State Forest for our Christmas card photo shoot with the fabulous Brooks Photography. Lisa is a long-time friend of my sister's and of the whole family. Her photos are amazing, and my husband humored me by taking the dogs to a shoot. The dogs only lasted two photos (they don't like to cooperate), but we had a great time in a beautiful location. I am a touch obsessed with Christmas cards, and I insist on making it a whole thing every year. And let's be honest - I love having my photo taken. It was a wonderful way to cap off the weekend.
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| It probably won't make the Christmas card, but it captures us rather perfectly. |
You look sassy in that pic! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when given the opportunity to push my husband off the overlook at Coopers Rock. :)
ReplyDelete