I’m a little behind on the blogging. My apologies go out first, and foremost, to Natalie Arant, our most loyal reader. This one’s for you, Natalie.
Let’s jump back two Fridays. Originally, this is when Eric and I were going to Virginia to run our half-marathon. Unfortunately, due to Eric’s poor knees and an order from a physical therapist not to run, we canceled our trip and sold our race bibs to another eager runner. But Eric had already planned on taking that Friday off of work, so we decided to do something fun anyway! We purchased an awesome deal for a canoe trip down Elkhorn Creek from Living Social, so we decided to use Friday for canoeing. The last time I went canoeing was with a pack of first grade boys at Sambica, so I was pretty excited to canoe with someone else who can actually use a paddle.
So we drove to Frankfort (down some beautiful country roads) and picked up our canoe from Canoe Kentucky. If you’ve never been canoeing or kayaking before, I’d definitely recommend this place. They were super nice and laid back, and it’s a really great deal. We took a 12-mile canoe trip down the creek, which was absolutely beautiful. The creek runs next to tons of farms, giving great views of a very picturesque Kentucky. Unfortunately, I was afraid to take my camera, so you’ll just have to imagine this for yourself. We spent about 4 hours on the canoe, which left Eric with a nice life jacket sunburn.
The trip down the river was the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure, with a few tricky rapids and lots of calm, flowing water. If you come to visit us in Kentucky, we’ll take you canoeing.
The most terrifying part of the journey was the ride back to our cars. They come pick you (and your canoe) up in a one of those mini-buses, and then you ride 6 miles or so back to the shop on some tiny, twisty roads. For those of you Harry Potter fans, this trip felt a lot like that scene in the movie where Harry rides the bus with that crazy driver who weaves through traffic and squeezes through tiny alleyways. But add a huge rack of canoes and kayaks to the back of the bus. Yikes.
After our canoe trip, Eric and I had the hankering to go swimming, so we made the journey to Oldham County to go swimming in my parents’ pool. Since my parents are moving away, we’re not sure how many more times we’ll get to go swimming (a favorite summer activity), so we had to take advantage of the pool. And the great thing about laying by the pool is all of the time you have for reading!
One of my favorite things about summer is all of the extra time for reading. I love reading, but never seem to have time to read for pleasure during the school year. I have an entire stack of books that I borrowed from my sister (who always seems to have the best reading material), along with a list of books I want to check out from the library. Step 1: Get a library card. Maybe this week…
Anywho, I bought Tina Fey’s book, “Bossypants”, a few weeks ago. I started reading it at Starbucks one day, and I was slightly embarrassed by how hard I was laughing at the table all by myself. I finished it by the pool last week, where I had to stop and read sections of it aloud to Eric and my sister. I’m not even a huge Tina Fey fan (I just watched 30 Rock for the first time yesterday), but the way she tells a story is just fantastic.
After that, I switched gears a bit and picked up Donald Miller’s “Through Painted Deserts.” Donald Miller is one of my favorite authors, and I think I’ve read this particular book three times. This one is probably my favorite book of all time. It’s about Donald’s road trip from Texas to Oregon. It makes me laugh and cry every time I read it. The thing about Donald Miller is that once I pick up his books, I don’t want to stop reading. But you really need to take a break and think about what he’s saying. He’s so good. Read this book. It’s incredible. You’ll think Donald Miller is your best friend.
And now I’m reading another Donald Miller book, “Blue Like Jazz.” I would imagine that this is his most popular book, so a lot of you have probably read it. I read it several years ago and remember liking it a lot, but I couldn’t remember much about it. So I’m indulging my summer desire to read and read and read, even if I’ve read the books before. And Donald Miller never disappoints.
So go read a book. Or go swimming. Or go canoeing.
-Ally
mrmrscoop says
I don’t know if you guys are around next weekend, but Donald Miller is actually preaching at Southland for Father’s Day! Just thought I’d give you a heads up 🙂 Canoeing is GREAT!
Marcia kight says
Ally, I’m really enjoying your blog. A cookbook you might like is a Gooseberry Patch one, if you’re not familiar with Gooseberry Patch, go to their website or head to Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel only has a few. Anyway, the one that’s fun now is titled Farmer’s Market Favorites. I hit a couple of different Farmer’s market a week. The vegetable lasagna in the book is really good and you can switch around your veggies according to what you have.
ericandally says
Marcia,
I think Amanda told me about that vegetable lasagna. I’ll have to try it out. I’ll definitely have to get my hands on that cookbook! Thanks for sharing!
-Ally