Birthday Party Fun

Let's just start with this.... I saw this recipe online for a pink donut cake. Sam wanted one for her birthday, so I ordered a donut shaped pan. It was huge. I sent it back. I ordered a smaller one, and then proceeded to spend much of my time on Friday making said cake. When I looked at the recipe photo, I thought there was no way in hell it was going to come out looking like that...

...and just crossed my fingers that it didn't end up a total dud! And then the batter (double batch, by the way), only filled up half the pan and I though uh oh... but once it baked, it rose and looked oh so beautiful!

Even better, it came out of the pan without breaking!

And frosted and sprinkled, it didn't quite match the recipe photo, but it looked pretty darn good! 😍💗🍩 Now just to wait and see if it tasted as good as it looked!

I knew it was going to be a full day on Saturday, but with Farm to Farm on Sunday, I wanted to get in a few miles to shake out the legs. I waited until the sky had lightened and then set up for a run. Got in a nice 4 miles, enjoying the glow of the sunrise along the powerlines, the mist rising on the Heath and four turkeys in the grass at the entrance to the middle school. Beautiful morning. (4.0 miles)

Sam had decided that she wanted to go to Urban Air for her birthday. The birthday package was crazy expensive and there was no way we were going to attempting to keep track of 10 9-year old girls down there, so instead she picked a few of her besties to bring with her, and we headed down around 9:30 am so that we could get there as soon as they opened in the morning in the hopes that it wouldn't be too busy. We basically had the place to ourselves for the first hour, so it worked out perfectly! Let the wild rumpus begin!

The girls had a great time and were thoroughly exhausted by the time we left, just how they should be after an active birthday party 😆 The rest of us may have been exhausted too, but it was more by osmosis, as we spent most of the time following the girls around, taking photos and enjoying watching them have fun together!

From there, we headed home for presents, pizza and cake.

The cake was a big hit, and although I didn't get the marbling quite right, it was pretty and delicious!

After the girls left, we had a quiet afternoon with the grandparents, and Susie, who wisely skipped the Urban Air chaos but we came over to join us for an early dinner at Frontier, which was delish!

All in all, a great day celebrating our almost 9-year old! 😍 I will admit, however, that I was totally exhausted by the time I went to bed and was wondering how Sunday's race was going to go!

Mellow

Running this week has been pretty mellow with Farm to Farm coming up on Sunday.

Monday, I snuck out of work a bit early so that I could get in a run before XC practice. After a morning of on and off showers, the skies lightened and I got in a nice, if slightly muddy, run around Highland Green. Two Northern Flickers and 5 turkeys seen. (5.0 miles)

The kids did a good job at XC practice doing hill loops, and we finished up just as raindrops started to fall again. (1.4 miles)

Tuesday, it poured all day long and I was quite content to take a rest day 😉

The rain had stopped by the time I woke up on Wednesday, but it was a damp, foggy morning, and the whole run was done in the dark with the headlamp on. I ran the cart paths, minus holes 1 and 2. (5.1 miles)

Yesterday, I had hoped for clearer skies and a sunrise but it was yet another dark and dreary morning once I headed out the door. Also there was a thick fog and mist falling, and this was my view for about 4 miles of my run... gotta love the Star Wars light speed effect!!

I had planned to head down to the river and back, but things were so damp out, I stuck with the cart paths again. One deer seen bounding through the brush along the edge of the powerlines at the end of the run once the skies had lightened. (5.1 miles)

Today is another rest day, but I'll be running around like crazy getting the house ready for the weekend and baking a marbled raspberry donut cake for Sam's birthday party tomorrow! Hoping it comes out looking as good as the recipe pictures!! 🍩💗 Can't believe we'll have a 9 year old next week!

Hidden Valley Fun

We headed up north late on Saturday afternoon and stayed at Keri and Tyler's. The girls had fun playing together all evening while we ate pizza, drank beer and caught up on things. Always a good time! Thanks, Keri and Tyler!!

Keri and I got up and made our way over to Hidden Valley early Sunday morning, catching the sun rising above the fields as we drove through the countryside in the pre-dawn light. We started out around 6:00 am, needing headlamps for the first few miles and shedding them soon after as the light shone through the trees, turning the hillside golden.

We had a good time chatting as we ran along, stopping here and there to fix a sign, move a branch or take in the view. As the sky lightened, we could see the leaves starting to turn, especially the maples along the waterways.

Keri ran with me for 5 miles then peeled off for the finish line while I kept going. The trails are rugged and don't get a ton of foot traffic, and my legs were feeling a bit tired, so the going was leisurely but the woods are beautiful and it was a nice morning to be out on the trails. I did an extra out and back on the Bluff Trail around mile 9 to fix a sign but it's a pretty stretch of singletrack through the blueberry bushes so it wasn't so bad to traverse it a few times ;)

In the final few miles, the trail skirts the edge of Little Dyer Pond. I stopped a few times to take in the views with the clouds reflecting in the quiet waters and the reds of the maple trees shimmering in the sunlight. Gorgeous.

Finished up to find lots of people milling around so did a quick change and then spent the rest of the day chatting with friends, watching the girls run the kid's obstacle course, helping at the finish line and the food table, and just in general enjoying the beautiful day and the fun atmosphere! Always a great time at HVNC! (13.4 miles)

The girls had a great time running the race and then meandering around on their own, playing, tending to the fire (respectfully and safely) and having a grand old time outdoors together on a late September day.

We were all exhausted by the time we left, but couldn't pass up the chance to hang out a little bit longer with everyone and so joined in on the after-race Oxbow fun, enjoying a few beers, more time to friends and fairy house building for the girls! A perfect way to wrap up a great day and the month of September!