CLT Runway 5K

This morning Harry, Joanne, Russ, and I woke up early (well, maybe not Russ - he has trouble with AM/PM) to participate in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport Runway 5K. Joanne and I ran while Harry (who is injured at the moment) and Russ walked the 3.2 miles on/around the runway.

Joanne and I ready for the race to start.

Just before the race started.

Russ on the move.



Harry and Russ coming in for a landing (hehe - yes, I know that's dorky).

Russ at the finish.

Joanne and I after we finished. Only on Halloween would they give away popcorn balls at the finish line. Yummy!

A Quick Tour of DC

Today, Harry and I took a quick driving tour of Washington DC after dropping our friend, Lindsay Anne, off at the airport. DC was pretty hectic (due to the Marine Corp Marathon) but we got some nice pictures anyway.

Clemson Wedding

On Saturday, Harry and I went to our good friend Alaina and her (now) husband, Sean's wedding. It was a great time and we got to catch up with some of our Clemson friends.

Me, Alaina, and Lindsay Anne (all crew ladies)

Harry and Lindsay Anne

All Clemson rings

Clemson - 40 / Miami - 37

Welcoming a New Family Member

Today Harry and I got to meet our nephew, Weston. We stopped by his crib (haha) for a quick visit on our way home from other weekend activities (other posts to follow soon).

Congratulations Clay and Karen! He is a beautiful baby.

Welcome to the World, Weston!

Our nephew, Weston, born October 19, 2009 at 7:29 PM.

Amazing Maize Maze!

On Sunday, Harry and I went to the Amazing Maize Maze in Huntersville to celebrate Joanne's birthday.

Joanne, Shannon, Ryan, Laura, and Harry

me and the birthday girl

Harry and Shannon trying to find a way out.

We made it to the exit after collecting all 12 puzzle pieces.


Me and my pumpkin, the biggest one I could carry.

Happy birthday, Joanne!

Goodbye Tree

Yesterday, I posted pictures of the tree in front of our house; well actually, I posted pictures of what used to be the tree in front of our house. Last Saturday, Harry and I returned from a run to find our tree gone. Almost all the trees on the streets in our neighborhood have been cut down due to disease. It is extreemly sad. What were once beautiful tree lined streets, are now a gallery walk of stumps. We were very sad to see our tree cut down. We miss the privacy and shade that it once offered in the afternoon. Hopefully, the neighborhood will be quick to replace it and all other trees on the streets... here's hoping.

Wordless Wednesday

Crop Walk

On Sunday, Harry and I took 16 of our 7th graders from church downtown to participate in the 31st annual Crop Walk. It was a great fundraiser consisting of around 5,000 people walking to raise $250,000 to fight hunger.

Some of our 7th grade girls leading the way.

Bonfire and Good Friends

On Saturday, Harry and I spent our evening with Siggy, Jessica, and Joanne around a bonfire.

And the winner is...

Jem and the Holograms!

For the first time in a VERY long time, our trivia team (the aforementioned Jem and the Holograms) won tonight! Our prize... self respect and a $25 gift card.

The original Jem and the Holograms and our first win.
Harry, me, Shannon, and Joanne

(Mom, thanks for the good luck! It was decided tonight that I need to talk to you every Tuesday before we go to trivia. :-)

Spell Check or Common Sense... Please!

Today I got 2 emails to my home email address.

The first, from the crew team alumni contact with this little tidbit:
"This weekend we play Boston College at home. Kickoff is at 12:00 a.m. and we hope to see you there."

12:00 am, huh? Wow, that's going to be an interesting game. I hope the players take a nap Saturday!

The second from a local restaurant:
"Meredidh, Ready for $5 off Sports, Spirits, & Fun?"

I didn't realize Meredidh was my name! I've been spelling it Meredith for years... I'm an idiot!

Block Party

Last night, the good people of Bluff Inlet Road got together for a fabulous block party.

For Harry and I, it all started with Jalapeno Peppers.

We cut them and seeded them (I thought I was going to die from the fumes).

We gathered the rest of our ingredients: cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon.

Then we stuffed the peppers with cream cheese, topped them with cheddar cheese, and rolled them in bacon. We baked them for 10 minutes at 550 degrees.

Then, our Jalapeno Poppers, along with our salad, onion/cheddar burgers, drinks, and tailgating chairs were off to the block party.

It was a fun-filled evening made complete with trike and scooter racing (the kids, not the adults - but that would have been fun), bonfires, sparklers, 1 giant gorilla, and of course - great neighbors.

PS: Thanks to Scott G for the Jalapeno Poppers recipe!

We Love Our In-Laws!

It isn't often that people say they love their in-laws. In Harry's and my case, it is true! We both are blessed to have a wonderful family that actually gets along. This past weekend my brother, Clay, and my sister-in-law, Karen, invited us to spend the weekend at the Garchow Compound (Karen's mom and dad's home) on Lake Lanier in Georgia. We had a great time jet-skiing, boating, swimming, and playing pool volleyball... "Harry the Hammer" is now trying to go pro as a pool volleyball player. Thanks to Sue and Dave for having us!

Unfortunately, we had so much fun we forgot to take any pictures. Check out the map of Lake Lanier if you need a visual to go with this post.