17 done ... 35 to go...

What: #94 Participate in a Color Run

When: June 27th
Where: Ypsilanti

Our "before" picture at the start

Why: For years, I've seen friends post pictures on Facebook about the Color Run, and more recently, it seems I've been in places where a Color Run has just happened and I see the participants wandering around the streets or into sporting events just as covered in colorful dust as can be! This intrigued me because they really seemed to be enjoying it, and usually after a run, my first instinct is to go home and shower as soon as possible.

This year, my friend Shannon invited me to join her at this run, and I was eager to sign-up to do my first Color Run! She and I had done another run earlier in the year and I was glad to find a running partner; it makes it much more enjoyable if you can chat and giggle along the route!

The day before, as most runners will know, was packet pick-up. I headed out into the warm summer sunshine on a beautiful day to get my t-shirt, headband, tattoos, and bib number. I was getting so excited! I went home and figured out what I was going to wear the next day, choosing shoes that I knew would be covered in colors by the end of it, and then waited patiently for the morning.

The morning, as it turns out, was barely in the 50s and pouring rain. POURING. I thought for sure Shannon would back out. In fact, I even considered it, but I have a very weird thing (stubbornness) about not skipping something if I've paid for it, so I decided I'd suffer for the 30-40 minutes it would take me to run, and then I'd come home to warm up and dry off. As I was pulling into my parking spot near the event, Shannon called to say she was just getting into town and that she was ready to suffer through it with me! I was so happy!! Luckily, the Color Run has wave after wave of starts, and it is not timed, so the fact that I ran with an umbrella and long leggings that kept falling down didn't deter me from having a blast!

The "after" picture at the finish line

16 done ... 36 to go...

What: #64 Drink a glass of whiskey

When: June 6th
Where: Journeyman Distillery
Why: I blame country music for this one. So many of my favorite songs have lyrics pertaining to shootin' whiskey, pourin' whiskey, sippin' on whiskey...and I started to feel left out of that part of my redneck side. I did once attend a bourbon tasting, but that was really just a tasting...I could barely swallow it. I figured I needed to toughen up and get ready to really enjoy the right kind of whiskey. Luckily, my friend in Chicago knew of a place halfway between us that seemed the perfect place to learn about good whiskey, so we - two of my college roomies, two kiddos (including my videographer), and one awesome husband - met up at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks.

To begin, we ordered a flight...five quarter-ounce glasses of whiskey to sample what they offered. The first one was rough; the initial burn caught me off guard.

The second one sounded great - it had hints of fruit and berries - but it tasted the worst. My favorite had a hint of vanilla and felt smoother going down. I'll admit, I used to think people that talked about drinks as "smooth" were rather pretentious, but after drinking whiskey, that adjective makes sense!

I paired my whiskey with a nice grilled cheese to clean my palate between each sip. I think that's the best way to go!