Mississippi Blues 2015

Last weekend, Ron and I travelled to Jackson, MS for the 2015 Mississippi Blues Marathon.  We drove over Friday evening, arriving just in time for the race expo.

Callie and Jordan came over as well, so after picking up our race bibs and swag bags, we brought a carb-rich dinner to their hotel for us all to enjoy.

We knew it was going to be a cold run, but nothing quite prepares you for a wind chill of 19 degrees except lots of layers, some of which we ditched along the roadway.

None of us were as prepared as we'd hoped to be for this race, because babies and hunting tend to take priority at times, but we all hoped to give it our best shot.  We posed for a quick pic with the others from our USA Fit running group before lining up for the race.

Ron and Jordan signed up for the Half Marathon, while Callie and I ran the Quarter Note.  I set a personal goal of finishing in an hour and a half---slower than I'd like to be, but what I hoped was an attainable goal for this race.  Fortunately, the sun was out for the most of the duration of the race, but the temperatures hovered just under the freezing mark.  Jordan's parents had driven over to keep Luke during the race, but Dennis served as their chauffeur as well, since he wanted to watch the outcome of the race.   After I finished my portion (Callie was already done), we waited for the guys to come across the finish line a little later.

While none of us were at our peak performance, we did meet our own personal goals--I came in at 1:29, 1 minute faster than my goal.

Callie ended up finishing 5th in her age group for the Quarter Note!!

It was too cold to hang out, so after getting hydrated, we headed to the car so that we could go back and get hot showers.  Only, our car wouldn't start.  My 6 month old, new car!!!   After trying numerous times, giving it some time and trying again, it was clear that this was not going to be an easy fix.  I called Roadside Assistance, who agreed to send a tow truck---in a couple of hours.  It was REALLY cold in the car, but we had our mylar blankets and jackets and it was better than being in the wind.

Callie and Jordan returned to help us push the car out of the parking garage (since the tow truck couldn't get inside) and then headed to our hotel to gather all of our belongings, while we continued to wait.

Did I mention that it was cold????  Cold enough that all of the fountains at the Convention Complex were frozen solid!

Finally the tow truck arrived and took our vehicle to the local Ford dealership.

Naturally, they couldn't service the car until after the weekend, so we were forced to rent a car to get home.  After the day we'd had so far, we treated ourselves to "race rewards" on our way back to Shreveport.  Yeah, I know that we should have been inspired to eat really healthy foods at this point, but that Whopper, Jr. tasted sooooo good!

I'd like to say that the drama ended there, but of course, things never go quite that smoothly.  We returned to Jackson today to pick up the car, fought a battle of sorts to be reimbursed for the rental car and finally headed back to Shreveport in my repaired car.  It was a frustrating experience, but I am so thankful that Callie and Jordan were still in town when it happened, that it wasn't raining and we weren't stuck on the side of a road.  Things could have been much worse!!  Besides, today's trip gave me the opportunity to do some stitching for a tiny new baby that will be arriving soon.

Mexican Pasta Salad

Mexico  --- pasta salad

Those two things don't sound like they go together at all, but needing a quick and easy Mexican recipe t for a covered dish dinner, I gave it a try.  I found the recipe online here.

It was so easy to put together---while the pasta boiled, I chopped the veggies.  There is something so therapeutic about pounding on that chopper!

I wasn't able to find the Ranch Fiesta Dip mix that they suggest, so I just sprinkled some taco seasoning from a packet that I had on hand. 

I mixed it all together and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before the party.  

It was a pretty dish and was quite tasty.  Just before serving, you can also sprinkle cheese on top--I filled a bowl with grated cheese for people to top it with.   I think it will be good with chicken or shrimp added to the leftovers.

Round Robin: True Colors

Color is the theme of this Round Robin challenge. The idea is a simple one: Show us something that's unusually colorful, exactly as your camera captures it. You can rotate, crop and/or sharpen your image, but don't adjust the tone or colors in any way.

The past two weeks have been very dark and dreary for the most part, so colorful pictures have been a bit hard to come by. This photo is of a small, mosaic sign I in my front flowerbed. I like the contrast between the spring theme and the snow on the ground in front (which is a rare occurrence for us here in the south). There's even a weed popping up through the snow by the sign!
These next pictures were taken in Juarez, Mexico this time last year. Despite the fact that we stay in the middle of a desert, and work with the poorest of poor in that city, color is everywhere--
From clothes drying on a line . . .

to paper flowers in the market . . .

to the bright paint colors used for fences and houses.

We just learned that our trip for 2011 (which was scheduled for next weekend) has been canceled due to security lessons. I will miss the vibrant colors there and the people who have become my friends over the years. I pray for their safety and for an end to the violence.

Round Robin--Express a Feeling!

Be sure to visit the other Round Robins to see what they've captured!!
For this challenge, I dug around in my archives. It seems that most of my photos depicting emotion were found in the albums for the mission trips I've been on. These first two were taken on a couple of trips to Juarez where I helped build houses for families. I have so many pictures of the children there, and they evoke all kinds of emotions as I look back through them.

I have been on several trips down to south Louisiana for hurricane recovery (I live in North Louisiana). These photos were taken about five weeks after Katrina hit, in the area surrounding Slidell, LA. This first one was with a couple of girls I taught in Sunday School---obviously missing another of their friends.
The next two are not great quality, but they certainly capture the emotion of devastation that surrounded the area for several years. Notice the washing machine dangling in the first picture.

Mexico with Music

One last Mexico post (I think). Here's a short video that Audrey put together---obviously not of our more serious moments down in Juarez. :-) (be sure to silence my music player before watching)

Fiesta!!

Tonight, we have our Mexico "after party"--a time for everyone that went on the trip to gather, reminisce, share photos and of course, eat. We're all asked to bring a Mexican dish, so I decided to actually cook something for the occasion (well, in all honesty I didn't have to cook anything with heat, but I did have to make something from scratch). I do know HOW to cook, and even though my daughters have little memory of this fact, I used to cook every single night. I've always loved to bake, but have never felt very confident cooking meals. But, this time I wanted to prepare something more diet friendly than a dessert (as I once again try to shed pounds), so I searched for recipes online and found this one for Mexican Bean Salad. As I gathered the ingredients and necessary tools, I was reminded that I really do like to chop!

And chop I did for this dish.

(some day I'm going to learn how to chop onions without crying!)

Yum!!! Can't wait to see what everyone else brings!

One Hundred Photos-Contrast in Mexico

Everywhere I looked in Mexico, I saw contrast---in colors, in people, in situations. Not all of them could be easily captured in a photo, but here are a few that I took last week.

This first photo was taken in the "compound" in which we stay. Being a bird-lover, I like the contrast found nestled between two of the dorms--birds playing on the fencing.
Out on the worksites there were more contrasts:
. . . the contrast between colors and textures between the wet mortar and the cinder blocks (there was also a lot of contrast in their weight, too--hehe) . . .
. . . the contrast between the clean laundry that is hung out each day and the dirt and clutter that surrounds it. . . .
. . . between the peaceful dove perched on a rooftop above rubble and barbed wire . . .
. . . and theses photos that were taken on our last day in Juarez. We went out to the area where their new church had just been completed. The contrast between the unlit interior of the church and the sunlight shining through the small, high windows. . .
. . .and in this area, with few modern conveniences available to the families living there, I saw a sharp contrast between the trucks rushing by on the dirt streets and the people riding a horse. (I used Coffeeshop Lomo action on it)
. . . and, on the way home, the contrast between the flat landscape and these tall windmills in west Texas.