Panama City!!!!

Camron and I went to Panama City!!! Well, Panama City Beach, Florida. Close right?? My sister and her family went to Guatemala for 10 days and asked if we would watch their 2 1/2 year old while they went. So we flew into Atlanta, GA to meet them at the airport. We took the kiddo and the minivan and went on our first adventure with kid in tow!

We stayed in Atlanta for a few nights. First we went to the Aquarium- it is AMAZING! They even have a dolphin show we got to watch. We also walked through Olympic Park. Our hotel (free thanks to Marriott rewards earned this summer) was in a ritzy shopping area- so of course we went shopping :) On Sunday we went to church, which happened to be next door to the Atlanta Temple.

We drove 5 hours down to Panama City Beach, FL (recommended by a friend...Thanks Amy!). It was a blast! The temperature was mid 70s and just what I needed! We pretty much were beach bums for three days and enjoyed the shops and beach walk in the evenings.

Next, we drove 6 hours to Tampa, FL. We went to Busch Gardens (Also recommend by Amy). It had something for everyone. Plenty of big roller coasters for us, Good food, Kiddy rides, and LOTS of animals. It is almost a mix of a zoo and an amusement park. Because it was the "off season," we never waited longer than 5 minutes for ANY ride! It was a dream come true. The first roller coaster we went on was my favorite and I think I rode it 10 times in both days :)

We also drove out to Clearwater Beach. It was soft floury sand, shallow waves, and we even saw dolphins swimming of the shore!

It was a great vacation that I wish we could do again!! Not bad for my first visit to Florida :)

Beginning

I always liked to be active...but i never really enjoyed running - Until this year. We were moving around a lot and I didn't want to keep paying to sign up at different gyms. So, I started running. It started out with just 2, MAYBE 3 miles, 3x a week. When I went home in July, I decided to run the 4th of July 5k. (that's the longest distance I had ever run). When we got home in September I decided to keep running outside. I convinced my neighbor to do a Mud Run with me (5k through a muddy obstacle course). It was WAY out of her comfort zone...so she asked me to train for a 10k with her- WAY out of my comfort zone. However, I took on the challenge and slowly began training to run a 10k.

This weekend I did it!! I ran the First Dam 10k. My main goal was just to finish :) I was able to finish and keep my regular pace the whole run. It was so rewarding. I now have to admit....I finally like to run! I am not fast, I am not the best. But I do enjoy it.

Maybe my next LONG term goal can be a 1/2 Marathon?? ha, we will see!

A Little Creepy

We had a Creepy night with Friends this weekend with some CrEepY Treats :) Good thing they didn't taste like they looked...We had spider eggs, mummies, ghosts, eyeballs, skull slime...and many more horrific bites!

Costumes were also required! Cam was a hunter, max was a deer that had been shot, and I was a fox

And this year I used a more couture take with my pumpkins, Do you like??

Black and Yellow

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

We got tickets for a Steelers preseason game! I got the tickets online and didn't really know where our tickets were. I knew what section and knew we were close to the field, home side, about 35 yd line.....

But I had no clue we were FRONT ROW!!

Talk about great seats!! Not only were we front row, but we happened to be RIGHT over the stairs where the players went down to the locker room! We had great seats! It was so much fun to be part of the crazy crowd and cheer the winning team on!

FRONT ROW!!

Happy Fans

So close to the action

Cheering on the Black and Yellow

Extra Point after Touchdown

#99's SWEATY, sweat band

Heinz....What a good name :)

Another good Hines.... ;)
(Hines Ward #86, Winner of DWTS)

#84 scored two amazing touchdowns :)

Players going into the Locker room

Heinz Field

Exploring Pennsylvania

This year I have gotten to see quite a bit a Pennsylvania. Although our living situation has been a little CRAZY, I have been able to do some interesting sight seeing! We stayed in Johnstown, PA for a week. Their Claim to Fame is the Johnstown Incline. It is apparently the steepest of its kind.

We weren't too far from Shanksville, PA. It is where the 4th plane on September 11th crashed. Flight United 93 was hijacked by 4 terrorists. It crashed in a field outside of Shanksville in an attempt by some of the passengers to regain control. I learned a lot about this event and am proud to honor those that died that day trying to prevent even more devastation.

I also, drove up to State College, PA. My cousin and her family live there and I got to see their house and visit with them and their adorable kids! My brother also drove down from NY for a weekend visit. I got a tour of the town, ate some yummy food, and had a BBQ at Whipple Dam. Unfortunately I only took a pic of 1 thing....see below.

Johnstown, PA

Going up....

Railway to Heaven

View from the top...(that's pretty much the whole city of Johnstown)

Going down...

Shanksville, PA

Temporary Memorial (new one will be dedicated this coming sept. 11th)

Items left from those grieving lost loved ones

Honoring the Heroes of Flight 93

The New Memorial

State College, PA (Whipple Dam)

Although I only got a picture of one thing while visiting my cousin and her family....

At least it was humorous ;)