T-Minus 6 days till the Race!

Well, my first 1/2 marathon is just SIX days away and I can hardly believe it. I never in a million years ever thought I would run a 1/2 marathon, nor anticipate actually enjoying it! Throughout the last 15 weeks I've actually begun to enjoy my runs (most days) and have even begun to think about what race I might sign up for next! It feels good to know that I was able to push myself to do something that I thought I would hate (and did hate for a little while) and now I enjoy it and am so glad I made myself do it. I'm still sad that Justin is not able to run the race with me, but he will be at a water station so he'll be able to cheer me on at a couple points during the race. I'll be sure to post some pictures once the race is over...especially because I already know I get a medal--how fun is that??

In other news, I've been quite busy this fall gearing up for some big fundraisers for my Florida Science Trip with my students. We'll be having a soup dinner and silent auction in November, so I'm gathering donations for the auction and trying to make sure we'll have enough soup to feed what will hopefully be a big crowd. It's going to be an amazing and fun trip, but it's sure going to be a lot of work to help the students raise the funds to go! I just keep thinking "you'll get to swim with dolphins, you'll get to go snorkeling, you'll get to see the Everglades" anytime I get overwhelmed with everything. If any of you out there have something you'd like to donate for the auction, or want to just donate to my students, be sure to let me know! We happily accept any kind of donation! These kids are GREAT and it's going to be such an awesome opportunity for them to learn science in a real-world context and setting.

Aside from that Justin and I are just keeping busy with all the normal things in life. I'll be heading to Minneapolis in a couple of weeks to do two presentations at the National Assoc. of Biology Teachers professional development conference. It will be a lot of fun, especially because I'll get to see some of my most favorite grad school buds AND I'll get to see my bestest friend since 2nd grade-Dawn, and I'll get to see one of my other best friends from gradeschool/high school-Amanda. I can't wait to have such great friend time with everyone! Plus, it's always fun to do a presentation at such a big conference, I just love teaching teachers!!

That's about all that's going on right now. I'll end with a picture I meant to post awhile back. It's a glimpse into a rare crafty moment I had in preparing for hosting my friend Serena's baby shower. I was pretty pleased with myself...

TaDa! Diaper Cake!