26.2...Chicago 2009

Despite last year's crazy heat wave, Michael was up for another year of the Chicago Marathon. This time around, it was considerably cooler, which made for a chilly start, but much better running weather. I was pleased that Michael registered my phone to receive text message updates, which put my mind at ease. I'm not sure if it was the cool weather or the fact that it was not his first attempt, but Michael did so well! I'm so proud of how disciplined he was throughout the whole training process!

Just arrived at the starting corrals



Getting all "geared" up







This was the last shot I got of him as he entered the corrals and made his way through all the participants...then I was off to grab some coffee and find a good spot to watch the race.



This is the lead group of runners

Niketown always posts the names of all participants outside its storefront on Michigan Ave. This year, they actually alphebetized the names, which made it a possibility to find your runner's name!

The Niketown storefront...

He did it!!

Jenny and Brian

Here are a few shots from a wedding April and I did in West Lafayette in late summer. The ceremony and entire day were filled with lots of love and emotion. Brian and Jenny are truly an inspiring couple...

Let's call it "done"...

Um, yeah...this post has been "in-progress" for over two weeks now, so we're just going to call this one "done" and keep on truckin'. These lovely little ladies are my nieces, and they did a great job posing for pictures! These pictures are all at my parents' house, and luckily, we could go inside and take breaks as the girls were getting hot and hungry. It's amazing what some chips and fruit snacks can do for little people! Anyway, hope you enjoy these!

St. Maarten...The Friendly Island!

We just got back from our Caribbean vacation with our friends, Daniel and Erin. Aside from me getting seasick on our day cruise the final day, it was a great week! The island itself is very small...only 36 square miles! The northern half of the island is French, while we stayed on the southern part, which is Dutch.

Ahhhhh, Carib...the island beer of choice, served with a lime:) We arrived in St. Maarten before we could check in, so we headed to Sunset Beach Cafe, which is conveniently located where the beach and airport runway meet. People go there to watch the flights come in...it's crazy cool (and likely not allowed in the U.S.)! The planes are literally landing and taking off right before your eyes! If you want to see more, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfQwDizpRo










Consider yourself warned...



Dinner at La Gondola...love, love, love italian food!

Riding around the island, we got our first view of the island from above...beautiful!

Lunch on the boardwalk in Phillipsburg. There is a lot of BBQ (not to mention french fries) on this island: chicken or ribs? Michael went for the ribs at this meal...and some more Carib:) Isn't he cute?!

The Boardwalk in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten's capital. There was a lot of great shopping in this place! Prices are closer to wholesale here before items are brought up to the U.S.

Good Thinking...

Snorkeling at Creole Rock on the day-cruise. I staked my claim as the photographer while the others went snorkeling.

So happy I married this guy!

This is where we stayed: The Blue Sapphire. The private villas in front are part of the resort as well, but we were in the main building.

View from the beach on our last night!