Sturgis Falls Weekend

Last weekend we went to Waterloo/Cedar Falls for the Sturgis Falls Celebration. Unfortunately, it was in the 90's so we stayed inside to have our fun. The kids had a great time swimming at the hotel with both grandmas and grandpas. We had a nice dinner out at Brown Bottle to celebrate Mother's & Father's Day and enjoyed yummy desserts baked by my mom. Sunday morning I ran the Sturgis Falls Half Marathon. This is one of my favorite races. However, due to flooding in George Wyth State Park, the race course had to be changed and it was actually a 12.6 mile race instead. It was pouring at the start of the race and then it stopped and became was humid (98% humidity!). It was still a good race for me and my pace was on par for one of my fastest half marathons. Jeff and Kaelen met me around mile 10 with Gatorade and lots of "Go Mommy!" cheers. It was very sweet. After I finished, Kaelen (and Jeff) ran the kids' race. She was all smiles. We all had lunch at Famous Dave's and then headed for home.

I went to New York City for work this week. I visited several fabric suppliers. I am always amazed at how fast paced it is in Manhattan. I stayed in the West Village this time and really enjoyed that area. Chelsea Market is one of my favorite places. It is a food marketplace located in the building where the Food Network is headquartered. Lots of awesome bakeries there! Kaelen loved the NYC Taxi cookies I brought home for her. Did make it to Time Square, Central Park, and had two great runs along the West Side Highway. One day I went south and could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance (got me in the Fourth of July mood). And the best part was bringing home fresh pasta from Rafetto's. It is a fresh pasta shop in SoHo that has been in business since 1906. They actually cut the pasta to your desired thickness right in front of you. We enjoyed the pasta Friday night. Will definitely make Rafetto's a must on all future trips to New York City.