It's official...we're moving!

Today brought an end to Lucy and I wondering we're we would be living this Fall. Lucy accepted a position as a Drug Information Specialist at a hospital in Greenville, SC and will be starting August 1st. Lucy has been stressed out over the past few weeks going to multiple interviews and actually turning down two different jobs because 'they didn't feel right'. After returning from the Greenville interview, she knew she wanted to work there and hoped they offered!
Greenville is actually one of the few cities in the South I haven't spent time in. I've driven through it going to Ashville, NC (which is only 1 hr away! YEAH), but never stopped. It's a short drive to the mountains and only about 3 hours from the beach! During her interview, she asked the employees if there were running trails for me (thanks LU!) and they said there were plenty. One of her future coworker's husband runs them often. It'll be hard-pressed to find a running club as organized as KC's, but I'll try....but it'll probably be just me running alone for a while.

More news to come!

dead deer

As I did my trail run today, I rounded a turn and came upon a deer. Nothing unusual about that, but it only trotted a few feet from the trail and didn't run in fear. I jogged a few more feet and found out why. A tiny baby deer lay in the middle of the trail and was either dead or very sick because it was motionless as I walked past it.
It was actually a sad moment when I realized the adult deer didn't run away because she was watching over her baby. I looked over at the doe and felt a connection - she knew I wasn't going to do anything to her and I knew the situation she was in. I really don't expect the baby to live, but I guess I will see tomorrow when I hit the trails again.

Mission Days

This past weekend, the area we live, Mission, was having their annual festivval, 'Mission Days'. There's aBBQ contests, car give-away, pancake breakfast, but the largest event is the cattle drive through downtown.

There were probably 50 cows lead by 5 cowboys on horseback. All the street were blocked off so the herd didn't have to worry about stopping at red lights.

Here are some pics from our sidewalk seat!

And the beat goes on.....

Well...maybe I should say, "And the streak goes on!"...as in Lucy and I continuing to earn the self-given nickname of 'streak-busters!!!!'

We attended our second Kansas City Royals game last night and the woefull Royals won 16-12! This win ended a 9-game home losing streak. Along with the 16 runs, they had 18 hits and came back from a deficit of 11-4. If you combine the stats from this game to the previous Royals win (10-4 victory ending a 11-game losing streak), the Royals have combined for: 26 runs, 29 hits and ended two long streaks! They have only won 15 games in the entire year (for a terrible winning percentage of .250) and we have seen two of them!!!!

ALSO combine the Royals game to the Univ. of Kansas game we attended in the fall where the JayHawks beat NE for the first time in 37 years! Our nicknamed of the 'streak-busters' is well-earned!!!!! All fans of Kansas' sports team should pay for Lucy and I to attend.

My latest runs in the heat

I've been getting back into the groove with my trail running the past few weeks. As the heat and humidity rise, my running seems to get stronger! I've come to realize after a year in KC that I'm a 'warm-weather runner'. Living here has allowed me to run when the weather is pushing 100 degrees and when it's near zero. Between the two, I prefer the scorching hot! I can't warm up when it's cold and my muslces stay stiff which leads to tripping while on trails. This past winter on a night-run at 4 degrees, I tripped due to me running 'tight' and drove my knee into a rock. It felt like someone hit me with a baseball bat across the knee. I of course, called my run short that night and stumbled back to the car. The point is: I'm loving the 90-degree weather and being able to take my shirt off and zip through the woods! The 'less layers the better' I always say!

Trip to Philadelphia

Recently, Lucy had her first in a series of interviews for her future job. The locations range from Philly to Auburn, AL to Greeneville, SC with each position's job duties being a little different.
The first trip was to Philly and I was lucky enough to tag along. It's my third time to Pennsylvania and my second to Philly - the first time being the 2003 Illustration Conference. I still remembered my way around and was able to hit some spots I missed on my first time here....namely the Philadelphia Museum of Art (yes..the one Rocky ran up) and their Andrew Wyeth exhibit! Good stuff!
I compare my 'big city' experiences to ATL since it's the one I've spent the most time in. The first thing I look at is if people actually live downtown and if there's a 'community' atmosphere. Atlanta doesn't have this....it's just a big corporate dump with all the employees returning to the surrounding suburbs in the evening. Philly of the otherhand does have a great downtown area. There are local pubs, restaurants, bookstores, etc and people are always walking around and sitting in the parks. There's a 'life' to the area that ATL will never have. I sat and enjoyed a coffee in Rittenhouse Square (Lucy was shopping of course) and wished I lived in an area that had this feeling. Although not on par with NY, Philly would be a nice city to live.
BUT...we won't be moving there. Lucy was offered the job, but really didn't feel comfortable with the position. It's mostly a medical writing position, but she feels most comfortable in a hospital setting. Welp...it was a fun trip anyway!