A Good Mother's Day

[Harper's Ferry Half-Marathon recap coming soon.  Quick summary: It was bleeping awesome.]

Mother's Day is quickly turning out to be my favorite holiday of the year (thanks Hallmark!)  This is only my second Mother's Day as a mom, but both years have rocked hard, and I'm liking the way this holiday is trending.

The day started with an early morning run in the historic town of Harper's Ferry.

Goooooood Morning, Harper's Ferry!

I ran on some trail for the first time in about a month, and it felt oh so good.  Loved the sound of gravel under my feet, and brief chats with local wildlife

Gooooood Morning, Ms. Deer!

And the scenery around Harper's Ferry is just so beautiful, especially early in the morning.

Gooooooood Morning, Morning!

Don't worry, I am not usually this chipper in the morning.  In fact, I'm not usually chipper at all.  But today I just felt like being EXTRA cheesy.

When I returned from my run, DJ Research and Nugget were already up and ready for breakfast, so we headed down to partake in the complimentary continental breakfast at our hotel.  I thought it was awesome, but I admit that I do have a weakness for free food.  DJ Research was not impressed.  Apparently breakfast gave Nugget a kanak-attack (food coma) because he passed out almost immediately on the car ride home.

Eating breakfast is exhausting.

My in-laws had been in town for a few days, so they stopped by before heading home this evening.  We had a nice picnic at the nearby park and then went for a walk around the lake.  Nugget surprisingly walked almost the entire way, frequently stopping to pick up rocks and sticks and throw them into the nearby brush, which is seriously the most exciting thing in the world to do.

Starting our hike

Thanks to our very active day, Nugget passed out in his crib (he was very happy to be sleeping in his own bed again) by 6:30, and I am now chillin' with the DJ and enjoying some brewskis.

I'm enjoying the Avalanche Amber.
Hoppy beers are not for me.

But before he fell asleep, I asked Nugget for a good night kiss.  He looked at me, then wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me the biggest hug I have ever received from him.  I could feel the strength of his entire little body in that hug.  BEST MOTHER'S DAY GIFT EVER.

Oh, and this gift was also pretty awesome.  Introducing my new running shoes, the Innov-8 F-Lite 230s:

I think they're rather ugly, but they fit well and will be a great to run in as I transition to natural running.  It will be back to basics after my half-marathon this Sunday.  Yup, this summer is all about form.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommas out there.  I hope you had a fantastic day!  You deserve it!