A Long Weekend

I survived my first week as an official teacher! Interestingly enough, my first weekend as a teacher is a long weekend. I'm not going to complain, especially since our next break isn't until November! I will back up to Thursday when I had a random long run. My day had gone really poorly and when my friend who is training for a marathon asked if I wanted to go running on a new-to-me trail, I immediately said yes. I had already run 1.5 miles at the gym, then this happened.

I can't complain. The trail we took was phenomenal. I would never run it alone, but I enjoyed running with my friend.

I mean, look at this.

And this is someone's backyard!

Friday was a much better day. I went to dinner with my marathon friend to celebrate surviving the first week. Then fell asleep early because a special visitor was coming into town the next morning.

That's right! My brother is back for the long weekend! It's amazing how my mood immediately changes the moment he returns home. It's like all is right in the  world. We spent the night in my favorite place on the planet.

All of his best friends were out there too. They are the most hilarious group of boys I've ever experienced.

My fiancé was out there too. It's been a long running joke since he was about 10 that we are engaged against his will. One of these days he will accept me!

We came back today and I got another long run on. It felt harder than it should have, but I survived. It's always worth it to see this face when I am done.

My brother's birthday was on the 20th, so of course we had to celebrate.

Seven pounds of pure chocolate. Of course, I stick to the fruit due to all of the gluten in the cake. Well, the fruit and the whipped cream! Now I get to stay up past my bedtime because tomorrow is a day off!

What are you doing with your day off?