Another Day, Another Race

Today was a crazy Saturday ... jam-packed full of good things. It was the kind of day where I have to sit back in awe because I am just amazed that I am blessed to get to enjoy days like this. (Goodness knows I get the balance, but I think that is what makes you appreciate the really good days like today.)

D and I started our day off with our second race of the year. It was the Twin Cities Valentine's Day 5K.  A nice jaunt around Lake Harriet. We dropped the boys off at my sisters and then made our way to the course. It was the first time I've ever been to Lake Harriet, so D and I were amazed at how quickly we found parking and got there. (Truth be told, we got there a good hour earlier than we needed to ... and it was just cold enough with a biting wind that standing still was not fun.) The course was nice, the crowd was jovial and D and I both ran about five minutes faster than the run we did on New Year's Day. (In fact, they had a timer at the one-mile mark and I ran my first mile in under 12 minutes, I was quite pleased because on New Year's I wasn't even able to run the first mile straight through. Here's to progress!

We followed up the race by going to the Midtown Global Market. D has been wanting to eat at a place called The Left-Handed Cook. My sister happens to be conveniently close, so we thought it would be a good reward after the race. My treat:

The Ma Bell Bop Bowl - pork belly, kimchi, a soft poached egg, pickled radish, scallions, collards on rice with a lovely sauce. It was delightful. Exactly what I needed after the run. I couldn't eat the whole bowl, so I have some sitting in my refrigerator for later. We also then went to the Salty Tart and everyone got to pick out a treat for later. (I selected a gluten-free almond cupcake ... perhaps the best gluten-free cupcake I have ever had.)

After the great lunch we started our way toward home. K has been saving money in order to purchase a new video game, so D promised him we'd stop at Target on our way home. O fell asleep in the car, so it became a Target run for just K and I. It was fun to watch him carefully select the game he wanted to spend his money on. He's growing up to be such an amazing young man. I am so fortunate to have him (and his daddy and brother) in my life.

We finally made it home and I had an hour before my next adventure. My sister was coming to our house and then she and I were going to a wine tasting. My local wine shop holds quite a few throughout the year. I love it because they put all their wine on sale and I always get to find a treasure or two.

The evening I spent relaxing with my boys. We watched a movie. O danced and sang a lot. K played his new video game and D and I rested our weary bones. It was a blessed day indeed. I hope that I get to experience many more. Of course, we may all be holed up tomorrow as their is an impending snowstorm that is supposed to be making it's way here. Not sure if it's the residuals of Nemo or another storm system. Either way ... if I get to relax and chill with my boys, then I'm up for it.