Weekend What-Nots

We bid farewell to the pop-up camper today.  The one we have been storing in our back yard under a camouflaged tarp.

We were storing it for my parents.  Their neighborhood association forbids such things.  Things like 25 year old pop up campers that have seen the world.

Fortunately, our neighborhood "association" celebrates things like that.  And actually prefers if they are put on display in the front yard. 

My parents came to pick it up for my sister, Shannon.  Word on the street is that her family is going to start using it for camping trips. 

Scary but true.

I cannot even begin to tell you the hundreds of memories that that camper holds.  Starting way back in the eighties when I was standing in front of my middle school waiting for my parents to come pick me up.  They rounded the corner in a station wagon OR brown carpeted (floor to ceiling) van (can't remember which) pulling the camper.  There were millions of child-sized limbs flailing outside of the windows waving at me and screaming my name.

I.WAS.MORTIFIED.

I wished I could hide up inside of my ridiculously teased and hair sprayed hair... kind of like a turtle hides in it's shell.... but it was too late.  Every one was already looking at me.

So, I joined the witness protection program.

I was rejected.  Mainly because I was a stubborn brat that got embarrassed easily.

It's a good thing, though... because that day started a life full of incredible adventures and memories.

Things that I will never forget.

I'm telling you that my family could sit around for HOURS and tell stories of things that happened in the camper, outside of the camper, on the road with the camper, and in my back yard with the camper.

It was the best fifty bucks my parents ever spent.  And I'm just assuming that it only cost fifty bucks because it was the eighties and gas was like 50 cents a gallon. 

Anyway, they came to take it away.

And left us this as a thank-you....

Veggies from my Dad's garden!  THE BEST!!!

A thank you wasn't necessary as we were glad to do it... (it's not like we are using our backyard for anything else...) but we are always happy to receive FOOD!!

I'm going to make a vegetable frittata.

And a million other things. 

I can't wait!

I  have also just completed week two of half marathon training and weight training.

I have sore shins.  And hamstrings.  And butt cheeks.

I'm feeling pretty darn good about the weight training.  I am consistently going up in weight and perfecting my form.  The running, however, is not going as I would like.  I can't seem to speed up to save my life... and have discovered that I am a faster (to me) runner if I just jog consistently than if I try to run fast (to me) for a little bit and then walk fast for a little bit.

Oh well, at least I still have 10 weeks.

And I'm running this race for myself... not for fame and fortune.  :)

I'm just looking forward to the day that I can say .... "I just ran four miles in thirty five minutes and it was nothing.... now give me some candy!"

Apparently, I need to be able to do that before Halloween.. because that is the only time I would be asking for candy.

As for our weekend tradition of grilling..... it is going to involve this:

And I can barely even stand it!

So excited to try these flavors together!

Hope you all are having a great weekend!