Home Again, Home Again...briefly

Well, I completely ignored this thing for the past year, so it's time to get back on the wagon. I just left Albuquerque, NM to begin my retirement/sabbatical/year-of-unemployment. I've had about 3 weeks of "vacation," and now it's time to remind myself that I no longer collect a paycheck :)

Jason and I left Albuquerque on May 26th to drive to San Diego, where I ran a marathon with my good friends Becky and Dan. The marathon went great! I was kind of slow (6 hours), but overall, it was much better than I anticipated after my injury during training. My hip hurt, but not unbearably. I ran the whole thing (with some scattered walk breaks, of course), and I was really excited when I finished. I got a little nauseous afterwards, but that went away after I ate and drank. Some good stretching and a nice long ice bath ensured that I was barely even sore the next day - just some tight quads that made it difficult to take stairs! We stopped by the ocean and then headed on the longest part of our road trip - one day to Albuquerque, where we picked up my car and my kitty, one day to Oklahoma, and one day to Georgia. We spent a couple of nights in Georgia with my dad, dropped off the car and the kitty, and then proceeded to Fernandina Beach, FL.

The beach was amazing... We were in a big house a few steps from the sand, the water was cool and beautiful, and the weather was awesome. I spent most of the time sleeping, laying in the sand, throwing the frisbee, and swimming. For a week. Then I didn't even feel sad when I left because I didn't have to go back to work! I went to Athens to stay with my best friend for a few days. We ate at the Grit and went kayaking down the Broad River with a case of cheap beer. We spent an hour and a half body-surfing down the mossy rapids at the base of the waterfall. It was heavenly.

Now, I've managed to make it back to good old Armuchee. I'm about to unload the car and unpack, and start planning my around-the-world jaunt. I'm going to dig in the garden, eat some home-grown tomatoes and peaches, sit in the porch swing, read, and ponder...