New Look + New Photos

Guys, I'm obsessed with the new look of the blog.  I just can't stop starring. Isn't she pretty? The sidebar is my favorite part of the whole new look. I can't thank my bestest enough for this awesome new design.  This girl seriously just gets me. Erin - Picture me right now on my roof screaming THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I switch back and forth between welcoming change and shooing it away and in this case I welcome the change.  It's a good feeling to get a fresh look and I thought now was the perfect time as summer gets tucked away and the sweaters and boots get brought out from our closets.  

I can't remember if I've told you all that I have been taking a Photography class or not, so for those that don't know, I'm taking a photography class.  I'm really taking an interest in this whole thing and I've got big dreams for taking this to some other level in the future.  I know I've got a long way to go but it's the first thing that I have felt passionate about in a long time.  If I've learned anything in my 25 years of life it's that passion = happiness. So I'm going to keep perusing what makes me happy! It's been fun getting to mess with different settings, try new angles and get different pictures.  My pups usually tend to be my test subjects but I'm totally okay with that.  

Here's some of my favorites that I have taken the past couple of weeks. 

Most of these are shot in apature priority, which is my favorite setting to get that blur effect in my pictures. Anyone else love shooting in apature?

Peace & Love Friends!

Warrior Dash Recap

I've been stressing over this Warrior Dash that I signed up for because I had been nervous about not being physically fit enough for it.  Seriously, I invested in a trainer and everything because I wanted to be prepared. Race day I woke up around 7:30 to get myself up and moving.  I have been sick since Tuesday and was still feeling a bit under the weather.  Needless to say I wasn't all that thrilled, especially since it had rain and colder weather on the forecast.  I feel awful but I dragged Phil along with me, even though he was sick too and now I feel really bad about it.  I should have made him stay home because he was feeling worse than I was.  

When we got there I met up with my friend Megan, she was all sorts of amped up so that got me feeling a little better about the whole race.  When I walked into the entrance I smelled bacon and my mouth was watering.  I had forgot my signed waiver at home but they had a few tables set up and was easily able to fill one out quickly.  The packet pick up area went smoothly, I just showed my ID and they gave me everything I needed and the best part was I didn't wait in any lines.  The packet included the race bib, a ticket for a free beer after the race, a t-shirt and a warrior hat.

It was a little after 10:45 at this point so we decided to get in line for the 11 o'clock heat.  I gave Philip a kiss goodbye and he went back to the car to study for his GMAT test coming up.  I hadn't seen Megan in quite sometime, we used to work together when I was living in Indy so it was great to catch up.  It had rained the night before as well as briefly in the morning.  The course was extremely slippery and muddy.  The first mile and half was all woods and running.  Well I should say I tried to run because if you've ever run in mud piles you will totally understand where I am coming from.  I looked like a drunk llama.  It was fun though because I can't remember the last time I had some good fun in some mud.  

After the first water break we finally hit an obstacle, which required crawling under barbed wire then it was back to running more in the woods.  I didn't wear a watch so I don't know how far in we were till we hit our next obstacle that was multiple mud piles that you had to climb and then had to slide down into muddy water.  Quickly after was another obstacle and this one was probably the most challenging one. That being said, their was a god awful line.  We seriously waited at least 30 minutes and looking back I wish we would have skipped it because it wasn't really worth spending 30 minutes waiting in a line.  I thought I would have had some difficulty with it but I was able to climb up it rather easily.  

The last mile they basically put all the obstacles together.  I would have liked more in the beginning.  My favorite was the second to last obstacle.  You had to climb a rope wall, walk across a board that was high off the ground and then you slid down into a muddy pool of water. 

My least favorite was the mud slid because I ended up getting a wedgie and flashed some poor little innocent 12 year old behind me. Haha so yea a few people got an extra show that day.  Oops.

Overall I thought the course was actually pretty easy.    The same obstacles that were on the webite were not actually at this particular course.  Those looked far more challenging.  I was pretty bummed about it actually that it wasn't more difficult.  I think the lines had at a lot of the obstacles also aided in it not being as challenging because we weren't continuously active the whole time.  They had a few giant hoses and an area in a pond to wash off all the mud.  The hose water was freezing and had it been a nice day it would have felt good but I was already cold.  They only had porta potties to change and I was not going to change in one of those poop infested boxes.  I decided to grab my free beer dripping wet and cold.  Oh and I had mud in places no mud should ever touch. I ended up changing outside the car while Philly held up a towel.  It was not ideal but sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.  If you end up doing one of these bring extra clothes and shoes to change into as well a few plastic bags to put the muddy clothes into.  

Is anyone else a warrior dasher? What was your experience?