The road to recovery

My running relationship has been a rocky one for the past six weeks. Here’s the rundown: take a three week break,  get impatient, run three times, think my knee might explode again, take two more weeks off, survive an early morning Peachtree practice run with friends, another quick two miler with the BF and today on my first solo adventure out the door this happened…

(Actually, that photo is from another storm a few weeks ago. Trust me, you don’t want to see a selfie of what I looked like after this one, just take my word that there was a lot of running mascara involved and the cloud that monsooned on me for three miles was just as dark.)

Sometimes it simply amazes me how wonderful those little winks are from the big Guy. Running in the rain is my absolute favorite. Even more so when I’m already out the door. Even more, more so when I’m soaked to the bone and get hit with a tidal wave of water from a speeding car on Peachtree Street.

Thanks for the welcome back to running. I’m looking forward to keeping this up.

Creativity lessons from my Dad

With Father’s Day around the corner, I can’t help think about the guy I get to call Dad and some of the wonderful things he’s sent my way. I honestly think I could write an entire book (maybe I’ll tackle that some day) about the unconditional love, lessons and purpose my parents have both given to me in my last 24 years.

But for today, I want to brag on him and his incredible talents for a few minutes. Some people get their inspiration from Pinterest, others consult a magazine, some hire a professional. I’m lucky enough to have lived with all three, in one man, for the last 24 years. Since I can remember, my Dad has been what you would call a maker, a modern-day DIYer if you will.

Let’s just take a look a few of his best creations that now find their homes in my apartment.

Drift Wood Coat RackThis guy, now serving as a coat rack (but really for aprons), was the result of a recent hike P and I took along the Chattahoochee. I’m always on the lookout for a great plank of wood for projects. Barns, beaches, paths, I keep my eyes open at all times. I came across a piece of driftwood washed ashore from a recent storm which was a little less than five feet in length. P very clearly let me know this was only coming home with us if I carried it the entire hike back. So I did. I brought it home to my parent’s house and a little less than two weeks later, I came home to this. My Dad negotiated with a client who is an Antique’s dealer to give him four door knobs…for free.

Total cost: Free.

Headboard

My headboard was another co-DIY project and might be my favorite of all time. After seeing several West Elm and Pottery Barn inspired furniture pieces that were clearly out of my price range, I sketched out a design and shared the idea with Dad. We opted for 2’4″‘s for the structure, which resulted in a lot of cutting lengthwise and widthwise, notching to ensure every “square” would have enough support, sanding too smooth it all down and a few coats of stain. You can read more on the entire process here. We are both probably more proud of this one than anything else we have ever made together (though those pillows that are a result of my recent conquering of the sewing machine are a close second ;) ).

Total cost: Around $40 for wood, stain and nails

While everyone may think their parents are the greatest, and I may be a little biased, I’m pretty sure I lucked out with the two I have. I’m so grateful to have been blessed with a set of two amazing people who have taught me about love, life and who also continue to share a little creative, do-it-yourself spirit in everything we do together.

Up in the air

A March birthday gift turned into a June adventure this weekend after several cancelations and reschedules, but this time the rain would not keep us away. Peachtree Dekalb Airport has always held a special place in P and I’s relationship, we’ve found ourselves hanging out there from pretty much day one. It only seemed fitting to celebrate his birthday this year by actually getting up in a plane for some flying lessons.

Even though I’ve already posted pictures to Instagram and Facebook and told just about everyone about how fun this adventure was, I couldn’t help but document it here as well (wupfh, anyone?).  20130611-203826.jpg

American Flyers took great care of us. When I went looking for lessons, I came across these guys on Groupon and knew it was meant to be. After a quick intro video and a half an hour in the simulator, we were heading into the skies.

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Pre-takeoff allowed for some pretty good selfies. #guilty

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As the pilot (which I was not) you basically do everything except landing. Once we were in the air, we were given clearance to fly just about anywhere we wanted as we were below a certain altitude. This meant we made it out to Stone Mountain, over downtown and Buckhead and even up I85 for some neat spots like a giant rock quarry that neither of us even knew existed.

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Another adventure in the books. If you’re looking to check out a new view on the horizon, I’d suggest giving this one a try. It’s always fun to see home from another angle ;)