Scioto 10K...or not

Before we even moved to Columbus, we signed up for the Scioto 10K in late September. Chris and I were so excited about jumping right into this run. After a less than stellar finale in New York with the Harlem 5K, I was certainly looking for some redemption.

It's an understatement to say we were shocked when we received emails the week of the race that it had been cancelled due to the town not approving the road closures. We were so bummed, but they still provided us with the race shirts and medals along with an invitation to the post-race breakfast so we decided to earn those goodies.

We completed our own 10K on the Olentangy Trail. It was pleasant and mostly shady. I didn't particularly keep tabs on my time, but I am proud that we got out there and ran the miles.

Have you ever had a race cancel on you?

Andrea :)

Fall Wedding Fun

Our first trip back to New York after our official move at the end of August proved to be a fun long weekend in Albany for Matt and Alyssa's wedding. We had been looking forward to this big event for some time...and it did not disappoint!

We drove from Columbus and enjoyed seeing so many great friends from Chris' days in Albany. The church was gorgeous and the weather was perfect on the wedding day.

I love all the little details at a wedding. The centerpieces were lovely and the photo booth was actually in a cute little camper style trailer set up in the back of the reception venue. So fun! The donut bar was awesome, too. Nothing beats cider donuts in the fall!

We had a blast! It was great to catch up with some of the Albany crew, and Chris loves nothing more than to bust a move on the dance floor. Definitely a fun first trip back for us.

Andrea :)

Photo A Day - September

We spent most of September getting acquainted with our new city. We did take a trip to Lexington for some fun with my family and a trip to Albany for a wedding. I also started my new job at the YMCA.

We had some quick fixes in the bedroom and stairwell at our new place. I got started on the Fall Film Challenge, enjoyed the geese on a nice fall day, and interviewed at the YMCA. Our first big event in Lexington was a tour of the Ale 8 Factory - lots of fun!

We caught our niece and nephew's soccer match, played games, and visited Old Kentucky Chocolates before heading back to Columbus. We volunteered at a Pints and Periods event through United Way and then started our trek to Albany. We caught the Canelo-GGG fight with some friends while we were there as well.

When we got back to Columbus, I did a little more organizing, we tried some new restaurants, went apple picking, and ran our first race in the city. Well, sort of. We were supposed to run the Scioto River Run 10k, but they cancelled it the day before due to city zoning issues. We still ran the miles to earn our medals on the Olentangy Trail that morning.

I was in the fall spirit - baking apple pie and getting a mum for our front porch. I celebrated Dad's birthday with a tasty treat, and we gave burger week a shot.

Andrea :)

Date Nights - August

We split time between Ohio and New York in August as well. We officially moved into our new place in mid-August, but decided to drive back to New York and spend one last week before we packed up our brand new Toyota Rav 4 with the very last of our things and officially said see you later to the Big Apple.

Chris wanted to check out the Columbus Food Truck Festival while we were in town. It was really nice to walk around and see some of the area closer to downtown while trying treat after treat. It was lots of fun especially when the alternative was unpacking boxes!

Back in NYC, we finally completed the Cupcake Crawl that had been one of our wedding gifts from my super fun bridal shower. Chris doesn't have the same affinity for cupcakes as I do, but he was a real trooper trying them and grading them with me as we trekked all over the city. Our day had an added bonus when we saw Chris Rock strolling the streets of the Upper West Side just after we left our first cupcake shop, Magnolia. What are the odds?  It's hard for me to find a cupcake place that I don't love, but my favorite of this bunch was the strawberry cupcake at Georgetown Cupcake.

What is your favorite treat to enjoy with your sweetie?

Andrea :)

A Tribute to 4310 Crescent St

While we were excited to move on to our next chapter, it was bittersweet to leave the first place Chris and I called home together. We moved into Apartment 2612 in late August just prior to our October nuptials. We had intended for Chris to just move into my former place on West 46th Street after the wedding and try to find a place together when that lease ended the following Spring. Coming home to an eviction notice (due to the owners selling the building) on August 1st had not factored into our plans.

I was a mess to say the least. I had lived in my midtown Manhattan apartment for nearly six years and though I knew I would eventually be moving, I hadn't intended to do that two months before our wedding - which was to take place back in Kentucky. I was completely overwhelmed with everything that would need to be done and packed. Talk about terrible timing - ugh!

Chris took over the apartment search so I could just focus on sorting out my things and packing up. He wanted to live in Queens. I was more hesitant, but I was convinced after we discovered a great place in Long Island City.

We got a great deal to move into the brand new building and really enjoyed the high rise rooftop experience for our three years at 4310 Crescent Street. We lived among boxes for the first six weeks while we focused on the wedding and all the final preparations for it. That Christmas, Chris' parents gave us a couch and chair that became the centerpieces for the entire place.

We sure managed to fill the place up in a hurry, but it was a manageable space for the two of us (most of the time - ha!). Though we didn't take advantage of them often enough, it was amazing to have a gorgeous rooftop area with a view of Manhattan's East Side and a gym on the ground floor.

Everything you needed was in walking distance. We were close to many great running routes. It was truly the perfect space for us as we began our married life. We have so many wonderful memories of this place we turned into a home together. From fun gathering with friends to hosting out of town company to simply going through the highs and lows of our life together, it was an place we'll never forget. Cheers to all the good times at 4310 Crescent Street!

Andrea :)

Improv at Magnet Theater - Level Three

After Level Two, I was so sad that my NYC improv journey was going to end there. With us moving in mid-August, it simply didn't seem possible for me to manage any additional classes with the Magnet. I really wanted to complete Level Three though so I kept hope alive.

I am SO glad that I managed to find a way to take the Level Three intensive at the end of August because I absolutely loved having Louis Kornfield as an instructor. What a fantastic improviser (and teacher)! It was worth every cent to be in that class.

I had a brand new bunch of folks in this class and thought they were all SO fun. It was another lovely mix - amazing how that always seems to work out. We were living out of an empty apartment on a blow up mattress this final week in NYC, but taking this improv class made it worth it.

We really just played. There were concepts we discussed and object work we focused on, but for the most part we just played. And it was SO fun. I had a couple friends join Chris for my final NYC improv show at the end of this class. I have no doubt they saw my best work. It was an awesome show with a great group of people.

In the end, I would highly recommend Magnet Theater if you are in the NYC area and have interest in improv. If you are interested in improv and have a week of vacation that you want to spend in NYC, I'd also highly recommend the intensives. Super fun weeks full of laughter and memories I'll never forget!

Andrea :)

Harlem 5K

After dozens of New York Road Runner races over the past seven years, I felt excited about making the Harlem 5K my last. I spent most of my time packing boxes and shuffling them around the apartment so we could still live in their midst all summer so running hadn't been my top priority. However, something just felt right about capping off my time in New York with a 5K.

I'd never done the Harlem 5K before mostly because the hills in Central Park were more than enough for me. I wasn't too interested in the challenge of the Harlem hills I had heard about in this race. In the end, I was too worn down for them to be a challenge at all.

I gave it a good faith effort, but I ended up having to walk/jog most of this one. My 13:31 per mile time is proof. At the end of the day, I still enjoyed the experience and the closure it brought as we prepared to move away from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.

Andrea :)