Peachtree Road Race

Running the Peachtree Road Race has always been an interest of Kyle's and now that we have a date that we're moving, this was his last chance to do it as a Georgia resident!  This is the largest 10k in the world... WOW.  He took a couple pictures throughout the journey, so we could have a glimpse into his morning.

So here is his view on MARTA... I don't think one more person could have fit on it!

There are waves A-Z, here is everyone in wave U waiting to start.

Going up "cardiac hill":

And all finished in Piedmont Park!

Glad Kyle was able to check this one off his bucket list!

4th of July Parade!

July 4th is always a fun holiday to celebration here, as the Marietta square does it up big! While Kyle was off running the Peachtree Road Race (post coming tomorrow!), Emery and I met our friends Stephanie, Eric and Logan to watch the parade.  We had a great spot in the shade for the kiddos, and they had a great time watching all the floats go by.

Emery and I actually randomly met Stephanie and Logan at the park near our house a couple months ago.  They only live a couple blocks away from us, and it's been so fun to have play dates every week with them! 

Stephanie, Eric & Logan:

Emery and I:

It was a long parade, lasting over 2 hours!

Our favorite was the "back yard brigade", with their chair dance.  Hilarious!

Eric & Logan waving to the floats:

Kyle made it for the last bit of the parade too!  A very fun morning with new friends!

JCT Kitchen & COLDPLAY!

July 2nd is a date that Kyle and I both had been looking forward to since last December!  For our 5 year anniversary Kyle gave me tickets to COLDPLAY -- a band that had been on the top of our list to see live for so many years.  Needless to say we were PUMPED when this date finally came around!

Before the concert, we decided to try another Atlanta based restaurant that we had heard wonderful reviews about. JCT kitchen is downtown and the decor inside the restaurant was just like you were in a trendy person's kitchen.  I think the craziest part though was that I recognized the waiter working at the table right next to us from somewhere.  After a quick google search I realized he was on the tv show LOVE IN THE WILD this season!  (yes I'm admitting that I watch that show when I fold laundry!)

Our meals were so good, but I think the salad was my favorite.  It actually had a couple pieces of caramel popcorn inside... YUM!

When you walk out there is a huge table filled with lemon heads!  They are Kyle's favorite candy so we had to get a pic!

Next on the agenda was Coldplay!  When walking into the arena unfortunately I had to check my camera at the door, so the rest of my pictures are from my phone.  We missed the first opening act, Wolfgang, but made it for the second one, Robyn.  Love her music but her dancing was crazy to say the least, ha!

And then it was finally time for COLDPLAY!

When you entered the arena they gave you these wristbands to put on, and said it was part of the show.

And MAN were they!!  Here is a picture from one of the opening songs "Charlie Brown" that talks about "glowing in the dark".  It was so neat to see the entire arena being lit up by wristbands!

And a video of it:

I've always sat during concerts, but I honestly couldn't contain myself during this one!  I actually stood up and danced almost the entire time.  My brother pointed out to me that it's a sign of good music.  They had these blow up shapes appear half way through the concert too... crazy!

And a picture from the song "Yellow"...

And one of everyone's favorite songs... "Fix You".  Look at the bottom right of the video and you can see how Chris was jumping all over the stage to the music.  Crazy!

We both gave the concert 2 thumbs up... I mean it was absolutely amazing.  BY FAR the best concert we've ever been to!!

After the concert we were both craving desserts, so we stopped by Marietta Diner on the way home.  Kyle got a chocolate cheese cake and I had a strawberry milkshake.  A perfect way to end the night, YUM!

Thank you Ky for such a wonderful night seeing one of our favorite bands.  (And as always a special thank you to Jeneane and Curtis for watching Emery so we could have a fun date night!)

Firebreather Challenge

Two weekends ago, Kyle and 6 other of his co-workers participated in the Firebreather Challenge!  It was a 6 mile off road obstacle race with walls to climb, cargo nets, river crossings and various other physical challenges.  The Saturday that the race was held was when temperatures here in Atlanta were 105, so they actually changed up the course so that the competitors had to swim through the river 5 times, compared to the normal 1 or 2 crossings.  They all had an absolute blast!

Emery and I came for a little while to cheer them on during the first couple obstacles that we could watch.  I forgot to say that their team name was Cobra Kai (from Karate Kid!) so we put the hand band on Em for the pic!

The team before the race:

They first ran up a large hill, grabbed a piece of wood and carried it back down to drop in a nearby bucket:

Next was moving two 45 lb weights and a 25 lb weight across the sidewalk:

Then jumped a 6 foot wall, crawled over a pile of tires and then climbed up another 6 foot wall:

That was as much as Emery and I could watch since by this point we were both drenched in sweat and it was definitely time to go home. Another one of his co-workers made sure to take a final picture after they all finished.

A great bonding day for Kyle and his co-workers!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Tacos

I found this recipe on Pinterest and absolutely have to share it with you all.  It was AMAZING and Kyle and I couldn't eat the left overs the next day fast enough.  ENJOY!

Ingredients 

- 2  cups  store-bought salsa, plus more for serving
- 2  tablespoons  chili powder
- 2  tablespoons  dried oregano
- 2  tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
- kosher salt
- 1 2 1/2 pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat 
- 18  corn tortillas
- 1/2  cup fresh cilantro sprigs 
- 3/4  cup sour cream 
- 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
2. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 350° F.
4. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in foil, and bake until warm, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and extra salsa.  

We added some shredded cheese, lettuce, and sour cream to our tacos... but remember to not leave out the lime.  It adds the perfect flavor!

Girls' Night Out to Noche!

The other week Lacey, Jen and I met up at one of our favorite restaurants in town - Noche!  Since Jen and I are not longer with KA, we now get to plan fun outings to catch up with each other... and that's exactly what we did! We all celebrated our evening out with a delicious house margarita.

We all tried different "tapas" from the menu, and each one was delicious.  Our conversation was the best though, so thankful I was able to work and get to know these girls so well over the past 4 years!

 I had a great night with you girls, miss you both and we need to plan our next outing soon!

A day at the park with Emery

After everyone headed back home from Boone, Emery and I stayed an extra day to clean up and enjoy one more day with the cooler temps (50's in the morning and 70's during the day!).  We headed to Valley Crucis for a picnic lunch and then walked around campus in the afternoon.  I think our little girl loves Boone just like her parents :)

   Love this little girl :)

ASU Reunion in Boone!

Emery and I stayed up in Boone for the following week to meet some of my best girl friends from the ASU graphic design department.  We have always kept in touch through email, but this was the first time we have all met up together to meet each others children.  Needless to say it was long overdue!  Before I share pictures from the weekend, I have to take us back in time for a second... we've been through a lot together!

All nighters for projects in the lab...

Portfolio reviews...

 Graduation...

Announcing pregnancies...

Marriages...

More pregnancies!

And now with 6 KIDS combined!

We had the best couple of days together at the cabin.  Becky and her family live up in Boone, so we thought it was the perfect place to meet up.  Whitney and Lauren drove in from Raleigh Monday morning, and we spent the day talking on the porch while the kids were napping, swinging, watching the kids play and eating meals on the back porch enjoying the breeze.  It was perfect!

Max (Whitney's boy) and Virginia (Lauren's girl) showing their tummy time skills:

Tuesday, we met up with Becky and her 3 kids and had the best time playing at the park in Horn in the West.  Here are Lauren, Whitney and Becky with their babies!

We swung and watched Virginia show us her newest trick of sitting up!

Caught up on life while sitting in the shade:

Laughed at Emery feeling so big with mommy's sunglasses:

Emery also loved being one of the "big kids" with Becky's oldest, Dillon:

I'm so thankful for these women and friendships that keep growing throughout the different stages of our lives!

Looking forward to our next reunion already y'all!