The Hopewell House

*whew*

This last weekend was such a crazy weekend.

It was filled with road trips, and running, and twilight.

Let's recap:

On Friday, I left bright and early to travel over to North Carolina to see one of my best friends Leslie. 

I had such a good time getting to see what life is like for Leslie and her husband Chase in their new life in NC.

They were so beyond hospitable to me and it was so fun visiting some of their favorite eats in the area.

My personal favorite was Ethos, which is a Southern Bistro and Martini Bar.

My saying is when in the south, do as the southern do and that means eat comfort, tasty types of food.

On their Caesar salad, they had fried Okra and Grit Croutons [friend grits-- tasted like super yummy Tater Tots] which of course I needed a taste of because how could you not eat okra and grits when in the south?!

And of course, what would a southern experience be if it didn't include REAL sweet tea in a ice cold mason jar.

So yummy.

Then next morning, Leslie, Chase, and I traveled to Charlotte to participate in another Color Run.

If you recall from a past post, I ran a Color Run in Columbus and had been interested in comparing my experiences between the two locations.

The run this time was definitely better organized compared to the Columbus event and this time I actually figured out the post party part to help enhance our lack of color from the running. [yeah, we still didn't get a lot of color during the run] Leslie and I had so much fun during the post party that we participated in it twice! By the end of it, I ended up looking like a green gremlin after our colorification process.

Bottom line, here is my consensus for the run, the Color Run is meant to be a genuine fun run. This run wouldn't be much fun to do alone, however, it is a blast when participating with friends. I also realized, you won't get a ton of color during the run, but if you participate in the post party after the run, you will end up being a fabulous color powdered mess by the end of the party. 

Overall, I had such a good time and loved visiting friends and experiencing North Carolina!

After the race, I traveled home because I was going to do a run with my cousin Timmy on Sunday. It was a crazy there and back kind of trip but somehow I made it and really actually enjoyed my long road trip. It was nice to just have a breather and get away for a while. 

So on Sunday, I woke up bright and early to do the Hot Chocolate 15k with my cousin Timmy and my friend Mike. It was both of the guys first time racing and it was fun getting to be a part of their first time experience. The Hot Chocolate race had a much more "racing" appeal to it and the course was really enjoyable. We ran through most of campus and downtown area as well as along the water in the city. I had a really good time at the run and overall enjoyed the experience. The only downsides? The Hot Chocolate tasted like stale water and the run had a little awkward twist/turn to it as well as a hill right at the end. It was also super cold, but I kind of enjoyed that part during the race.

Regardless, I would definitely consider running this again next year and I had so much fun getting to do the run with Timmy and Mike.

[Sorry Mike, you missed your picture opportunity]

After the race, all of us went over to the German Village Coffee Shop for some yummy comfort food and warmth. I ended up going home and vegging out for a few hours and then met with my friend Kara and her sister Kate to watch the final movie in the Twilight Saga and grab some frozen yogurt. We had a lot of fun and I ended up laughing during a good portion of the movie [not because it was funny but because it was corny]. Needless to say, Kara told me to shush a lot and I might have made a few people around me mad.

Oh well,

I had a good time.

The only thing I didn't like about this weekend was the basic fact that there was not nearly enough of this weekend and I wish I had a few more days.

Oh well,

Thanksgiving is coming soon and that gives me plenty of time for good eats and lots of sleep!

Hollar!