Riley

Our little puppy is not so little anymore



This used to be her favorite spot until she realized she didn't fit anymore!

She likes to air out

(the bowl in the background is covering up a cable that comes through the floor so she doesn't chew on it...we don't usually leave bowls on the floor)

She got a bee sting and her lip was huge! How sad is that face! It didn't really seem to phase her though.

She's a little crazy but we love her!

crazy is right

This is what we did on Saturday. An 8k. Why? I'm still not sure and my legs definitely never want to do another one. Let me just say that I am NOT a runner. I haven't run for a few weeks and when I do it's not for very long and I can't go very long without walking. I've never enjoyed running but Jeff has taken it up and well, it's supposed to be so good for you, yadda yadda, so awhile ago I decided I'd try to take it up. Well, my progress has been mediocre at best. I just can't seem to push myself to get any better. Or maybe I'm just a wimp...okay, I'm definitely a wimp. I've always thought that people who ran long distances had to have a screw or two loose. Why in the world would you want to run for hours on end? Do you hate yourself? But people really seem to enjoy it so I thought maybe I could force myself to enjoy it too.

You may be asking yourself, then why the heck did you run an 8k if you hate running? Well, let me first say that I'm using the term 'run' very loosely. And secondly, I think I might have a few screws loose myself. Jeff and Lance convinced me to give it a try....and we got a t-shirt (I was going to say free t-shirt but with what we paid to enter the race, it definitely was not free. And no, I cannot believe that I actually paid to run.). They convinced me that I'd have more confidence after crossing the finish line after "running" 8 kilometers (p.s. why do they measure these races in kilometers? We don't use the metric system here, remember?). If you can run for ten minutes, you can run for an hour is what they told me. Well, I knew I was gullible but jeez, you might as well tattoo 'idiot' on my forehead cause that's the biggest lie I've ever heard. For some odd reason I felt that if I didn't do it I would regret it. They say it's the world's fastest 8k cause it's mostly downhill but I think that's a lie too. Cause I'm pretty sure only the last .5k was downhill.

Well, maybe I do feel a sense of accomplishment for finishing the race even though I didn't run the whole way. When I did run it was at a snail's pace (there was an old guy power walking -- in fairly short shorts I might add -- that was going faster than me). However, I think I lost a little bit of self-esteem as 7-year-olds passed me, 70-year-olds passed me, guys in really short shorts passed me (is this really necessary people, really?) big people, little people...you name it, they passed me. Am I the least fit person in this area of fried food and heart disease? Jeff had to remind me that mostly people who have been running for awhile are crazy enough to sign up for an 8k and that made me feel a little better. Oh, you mean I'm the only idiot who can barely run for 10 minutes straight that signed up to run 5 miles? I probably would have passed out on the side of the road if it weren't for Jeff who decided to give up a decent finishing time and run with me and encourage me the whole way (and to make sure I wasn't kidnapped by any rednecks along the way).

So anyway, I made it. I'm alive even though I can barely walk. I think I'm glad I did it. I'm not sure if I'll ever get the hang of this whole running thing.

But, if you've learned anything from my experience it should be

1. Just because you were born in Kenya does NOT mean you can run like the wind, or run at all for that matter. No matter how much you wish it were true.

2. Do not, I repeat, do NOT listen to Jeff and Lance when they try to convince you to do something that seems even the slightest bit ridiculous (even though I can now say I "ran" in an 8k).

3. And don't eat barbecue six hours before you run. Not. A. Good. Idea.

visitors

My sister, Leslie, made made the 11-hour trip from Jacksonville, IL to wonderful Johnson City, TN with a two year old and a large dog (small horse) by herself...because she loves us. We had a great time. The dogs had a great time. We wish we lived closer!

Ready to bike the Creeper Trail

Do we look alike?

Happy

And sad. Don't worry it only lasted a few seconds.

Throwing rocks in the river was the best part for Anika

Thanks for coming to visit us!

charleston

Three couples.
Two babies.
One puppy.
(These three things equal a lot of stuff, especially when camping).
One boat trip to Fort Sumter.
One afternoon at the beach.
One day of walking around downtown Charleston which tired the one puppy out (see picture of jeff carrying puppy).
One night of rain and a leaky tent (sorry lance and ariel) and maybe a little animosity towards lynn because she is the genius who came up with the camping plan (yes mom, it was my idea believe it or not). Unfortunately I cannot predict the weather.
About three dozen bug bites.
One fun memorial day weekend with good friends in a great city.

better late than never

This is Sam.

Isn't she a beautiful bride?

We met almost 10 years ago before our freshman year of high school when we were both new kids.

We used to talk on the phone for hours even though we lived right down the street from each other.

Without Sam I'm not sure I would've made it through high school in one piece.

Even though we went our separate ways during college we can always pick right up again with a phone call even if we haven't talked to each other in months.

Moving around a lot growing up I always wondered what it would be like to have a friend that you grew up with and I'm grateful I can experience some of what that might be like with Sam as we share in some of life's milestones with each other.

Sam got married on April 18th (how has it been a month already?) in Maryland to Andy who is pretty much perfect for her, if I do say so myself.

We had a great time, it was a beautiful day.

Love ya Sam (one of my few dedicated blog readers :))

Oh, and of course we squeezed in a Nationals game and we coerced my parents into going with us. It was their first win of the season.

Also, Sam is a very talented artist and just started a blog with her artwork. Check it out here!

let me tell you 'bout my best friend

This is how it starts...


Happily chewing their bones side by side.

Hey what the heck. You have your own.

I win! Sucka!

I guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship.

We still haven't completely settled on a name yet. We've been calling her Miley (yes, like miley cyrus but not because of miley cyrus). Anyone have any suggestions?

it's a girl!

Please welcome the newest and cutest {it was close} member of the Hiestand family...

She's a beagle mix but we're not sure with what which means we're not sure how big she's going to get...but her paws aren't huge so we're hoping she won't be.

Ace (lance and ariel's dog) loves having a playmate

Don't you love her spots?

After visiting the shelter almost weekly since we moved here, we finally gave in.

She's looks very docile in all these pictures, but she's pretty mischievous & spunky.

We still haven't decided on a name. Boy dog names are much easier.

Wish us luck on potty training.

We love our new addition!