Date Nights - November

As winter approached, we spent more time inside continuing to organize the apartment and catching up on various TV shows on the DVR. We were starting to find our groove and really enjoying our weekends at home.

I found a Books & Brews event through Friends of the Worthington Libraries that was a perfect date night for us. We had a great night and even made some friends at the event. We sat next to a couple that moved to Columbus from New York several years ago and had really made a home here. We teamed up with them for the trivia contest. It really is a small world...

Chris found another fun sporting event for us to attend - New York Rangers vs Columbus Blue Jackets. I think we've only been to one other hockey game together. I'm a little foggy on all the rules so it was nice to get a refresher on those. We had fun even though it was quite cold in the arena!

What type of community fundraisers or sporting events do you enjoy most?

Andrea :)

2017-2018 Broadway in Columbus Season - Part 1

When we moved to Columbus, the absolute first thing on my to do list was to lock in season tickets for the Broadway shows. We arrived just in time to get all signed up and set for five great shows! I was pumped since my favorite part about living in NYC had been the access to Broadway.

Our first show of the season was School of Rock. I hadn't seen the live performance previously though I did see the Jack Black movie version way back when. To say we were underwhelmed is putting it nicely. I'm not sure if we just caught the lead on an off night or what, but he wasn't impressive at all. The kids in the show were incredibly talented and most of the other characters were fine, but we left wondering if the rest of the season was going to be a bust, too.

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long to see our next show - Waitress. I had seen this one twice on Broadway earlier in the year - including once with Sara Bareilles playing lead! I could not have been happier about the performance we saw in Columbus. Phenomenal talent - and some roles were even funnier (how is that even possible?!?) than they had been on Broadway. I was SO very glad to follow up our first experience with such a fantastic one.

Andrea :)

Hungry Turkey 5K

After such an poor showing at the Hot Chocolate 15K earlier in the month, I was determined to do better. The Hungry Turkey 5K was my shot. It was held the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

We had an exciting first Thanksgiving in Columbus by preparing our Thanksgiving dinner on our own for the first time ever. We had intended for Chris' family to be in town to see our new place and check out the area, but some minor medical issues prevented that from happening. So it was just the two of us. And a massive turkey. And a small ham. And far too many sides. But we laughed a lot and the meal was delicious.

But back to running. On that Saturday, I set out for the start line determined. It was chilly, but not unbearable. The race hoodies they gave participants were amazing! My goal was simply to run the entire race. I'm happy to say that I met my goal. At 12:44 per mile, I wasn't setting any world records, but I was proud. It was a step in the right direction and that is all you can ask.

Have you ever run a turkey trot?

Andrea :)

Hot Chocolate 15K

The idea of running a 15K turned out to be much more fun than the actual running of it. Even though lots of chocolate was involved at the finish line.

I was beyond unprepared for race day. On top of that sad fact, the forecast showed rain. It turned out to be more of a mist than an actual rain, but my socks and shoes were completely soaked by the 5K marker. It was a disaster.

Honestly, the only positive from the entire adventure was the chocolate treats at the end. Those were worth the slog. Definitely a race I want to do over in the future. It had amazing potential, but I just didn't do my part on this one.

What is your least favorite racing experience?

Andrea :)

Photo A Day - November

There sure was a lot to be thankful for this month. The weather stayed nice which was great since we were training for two different races.

It rained on and off the whole time for our Hot Chocolate 15k, but the treat at the end made it all worth it. Seriously - so tasty! I started a round of 21 Day Fix, voted, and we saw our second show as Broadway season ticket holders in Columbus. Waitress was fantastic!

I took a solo trip to Lexington to play with the kiddos and visit Mom and Dad while they were babysitting. We went to a dance at Brinley's school, had a basketball game at the Y, and went to church at Southland. I stuck to my workout schedule and continued to focus on eating healthy. I highly recommend listening to (or reading) Born a Crime - phenomenal.

Chris and I checked out the Columbus Blue Jackets when the Rangers were in town. I finally hung all my race medals - so many memories! The Youth in Government event had me at the capitol building for a few days before we celebrated Thanksgiving. Chris and I made our own turkey dinner (despite a steep learning curve) and WAY too many sides for just the two of us, but it all turned out great!

We ran the Hungry Turkey 5k complete with mega cinnamon rolls at the finish. My cousin, Kenneth, surprised me with a completely unexpected visit. It was awesome to see him after SO many years! I continued to stay on track with my meal plan and drinking lots and lots of water.

Andrea :)