The Accidental Boilermaker

Penny loves her Christmas present from Flurry (and Ben and Amanda). Apparently grass is good for cats even though they can't digest it. We googled it and the grass has fiber and nutrients that are extracted and then she throws up the grass when she's done.

I was supposed to get a colonoscopy today, but after becoming frustrated with my insurance and my doctor's office, I cancelled. So instead, I got to do a bunch of other fun stuff: 1. Craft night yesterday with girls from small group. 2. Not having to work since I already had the day off. 3. Getting my run in before the snow started. 4. Lunch out with my sister for sushi. 5. Baking a pie for when Nate gets home.

Friday night = date night. Nate and I went out to dinner to Puccini's and shared a veg-head pizza and then saw the new Mission Impossible movie. Which, despite our expectations, actually was a pretty good movie. And this caused us to reflect on the previous 3 Mission Impossible movies. #1 is definitely the best. I watched it a lot as a kid. #2 is probably the worst. I can say this because although I never saw #3 in it's entirety, I did see the second movie three times in the theater (don't ask). So, as Nate put it, if you want to see a movie that doesn't make you think too hard, go see Ghost Protocol.

Christmas is officially over. You can read happy and sad in that statement. I didn't take a lot of pictures to document Christmas 2011 but here's a few. Kate and her mountain of gifts Me and Meredith Daddy and his nice new shirt Family picture New nephew

If you've ever run a race or competed in some sort of event, you might understand this post. My mom emailed me an article about the West Lafayette Circular Logic Marathon . Is it crazy to even consider signing-up for this event? The website makes it sound so fun (and it's cheap for a marathon), you forget that the race is a one-mile loop that you run 26 times! Take for example the amenities: Two sets of real restrooms!! Aid Station every single mile!! Flat course with only 26 feet of elevation change per mile!! No street crossings!! What more could you ask for in a race? But I wonder, you would feel even more insane after running 26 miles in a circle than you do after 26 miles in a line? Or would the quick familiarity of your surroundings make the miles seem to go by faster? The longest I've ever run on the treadmill was 12 miles (and I've done it at least twice). Let me tell you, it wasn't much fun either time. Would this race be like that, except like 10...

I ran my second Indianapolis Monumental Marathon today. Compared to the last time , I did and felt lots better. My family was there to cheer me on. Kate, Meredith and my dad even ran a 5K. It was dark and pretty cold at the start of the race At mile 20 I finished! Final time 4:30.53 - 8 minutes faster than two years ago!

Took a trip to Chicago this weekend to see Kate, watch the Chicago Marathon, and go to the Brookfield Zoo (my birthday present from Nate). Everything was a blast. This guy was my second favorite animal. The river otter did not photograph well as he was having too much fun swimming to pose for pictures. Nate pretending to be a polar bear. Very scary. We really wanted these stuffed animals but Nate said no. With our Dad at the finish of the marathon