Queen's Romp 5k

On Sunday, despite severe thunderstorm warnings and a possible tornado, Chris, Ava, Teri, Callie, Leigh, Grant and I headed into Leavenworth to run the Queen's Romp 5k! I can't remember the last time I saw this much pink in one place!  

We arrived at 7:30am to a swarm of tutus, tiaras and pink t-shirts. There were lots of little booths set up, so we did some exploring before the run started. Leigh was pushing Grant in a stroller, so we headed to the back of the masses to find a place to await the start. 

We are ready to run!!!

Especially this little guy!

And we are off! Check out Leigh, an awesome MOTHER RUNNER who pushed Grant on his first 5k!!!

Post race group photo!

Amazing Sunset

I saved these pictures from the Smithville Lake camping trip for a separate post because they deserve their own special post! While a camera cannot truly capture all of the beauty in nature, I did my best to try to do so.

Smithville Lake

The weather finally took a turn for the better and five of us headed up to Smithville Lake on Friday afternoon to take advantage of the sunshine! We immediately set up camp and then played a little frisbee. 
 

Once everything was set up, the next task was to get a fire going. Dirt had a new toy that would start a fire WITHOUT a lighter or matches, so Brian set up the fire pit and Dirt got to work shaving wood and magnesium - Turns out, it worked!  

 Once the fire was going, it was time to hangout, drink some beers and just relax! 
 

A break in the frisbee game for a Dirt story...

Time for dinner! Steaks, corn, black beans, and potato packets!

Waiting for the food to be ready.

Apparently everyone enjoyed dinner!!! 

 We had no idea that the LARPers would be back, but we were super excited to walk up the hill to chat with them after dinner. Unfortunately, the battle started long after I went to bed, so I only got a few pictures of the costumes. 

Door-to-Door Organics

A few weeks ago, we signed up to receive produce through a local service in Kansas City, Door-to-Door Organics. Once a week we get a delivery of fruits and vegetables that are in season. We just leave a cooler outside on the porch and they drop off a bag of goodness! It's an awesome program and it has introduced me to vegetables and fruits that I would never pick up at the grocery store. Plus, the produce is cheaper than I would find at the store and better!  

Here's a sample of what came this week - artichokes, a cucumber, two zucchinis, red-tipped lettuce, a head of broccoli, an avocado, and white carrots! 







And for fruit, we got two grapefruits, three pears, lemon, a mango and five bananas!

If you have a local community supported agriculture program, I highly recommend checking it out!

The Duke and Covered Bridges

On the way back to Kansas City, Christina and I decided to venture off the normal route to see the covered bridges of Madison County in Winterset. This only took us an extra 30 minutes, so it was totally worth it! We were both super excited to find out that not only were there covered bridges to see, but Winterset is also the birthplace of John Wayne! We couldn't pass up an opportunity to stop and see that! 

Unfortunately the site was closed because it was Easter Sunday, but that didn't stop us from snapping some pictures! 

We stopped to see Cedar Bridge, which was just two miles off of Highway 92.

 Of course I made Christina pose for a few pictures!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

Amazing Family Friends

Most people are blessed to have extended families that surround them with love. My family also has an extended family of friends who have been part of the Ryu family for longer than I have been alive. Friends who have seen my parents through dating, marriage, the birth of their children, family vacations and a major move. Even more importantly, they have been there for me, Jennifer, and Juliette through the deaths of both of our parents - always providing support and open arms. We are truly blessed to have the Lavelle family in our lives!

They were kind enough to invite me up to for Easter weekend and I was thrilled to head up to Iowa City! I haven't been back there since November 2011. We had such a wonderful time and it was wonderful to see not only Uncle Bill and Aunt Loretta, but also Megan and Colleen!

These ladies are amazing! 

     
My friend, Christina, and I departed Missouri on Friday morning and headed up to Iowa City. After a lot of catching up and a wonderful dinner, we drove to Coralville to visit some other family friends who have also been wonderful to us all these years. It was great to see Aunt Karen and Uncle Jim!  

Saturday morning, Colleen convinced me to run 9 miles with her! It was a gorgeous day and Christina and Aunt Loretta also went for a walk. After a nice lunch and a much needed nap, Megan, Christina and I headed to the cemetery to visit my parents. Upon Jen's request, I brought Johnnie Walker Black for dad and Tequila for mom! It was the only way to properly honor them ;-) Had a wonderful visit with them and was grateful for the company of amazing friends.

After we returned, we had yet another amazing dinner! This time we were joined by Megan's two lovely daughters, Amira and Shea! Uncle Bill grilled tenderloin wrapped in bacon...almost enough to make me want to stop being a vegetarian! Aunt Loretta sure knows how to make cooking look easy! Every meal she made was delicious! 

What a beautiful smile!!!

Colleen got Shea to give her a massage after her long run and bike ride!  

This girls has boundless energy! 

During the trip, I was introduced to the great game Banana-Grams!!!  So much fun! After dinner, we all sat down to play a few rounds!

On Sunday morning, Colleen woke me up bright and early for a lovely 5-mile run. It was beautiful out and I was thrilled to see that the Easter Bunny (aka Christina) had visited while I was out!  

All dressed up for church!

After our run, we cleaned up and headed to church. Afterwards, we returned to have a delicious brunch and spend our last few hours together. 

I'm pretty sure Amira is beating her dad here! 

The Lavelle women hard at work!

Colleen, super tired after slaving away in the kitchen all morning...

Ajax, looking quite dashing on Easter morning!

And last but DEFINITELY not least, my dad's best friend. My dad's brother. Uncle Bill. Quite possibly the most generous and loving man that I know. It was so wonderful to see you all!