read between the runs

wow, this is a bit embarrassing! i can’t believe i let my thoughts sit in my head for so long! well, where should i begin? i guess chronologically makes sense.

in november i had the pleasure of flying up to wisconsin to go to eric’s wedding with isabel. we had chipotle, went to dig and save, played cards, and watched twins watch their twins date other twins. the wedding was a blast and i assumed the position of holding the dance floor down which is an opportunity i will never turn down, under the right… circumstances. seeing dave, libby, and other eau claire people helped to remind me why i miss college so much!

of course thanksgiving came and i did think i was going to die when i drank too much hot sauce without anything else in my system. it was actually wild. we had a meal where autumn and i’s families came together and it went super well. autumn had her bridal shower which my grandparents made the trip for, and it was nice to see them for it.

for december, we kicked it off right by going to our last wedding as an engaged couple, seeing taylor and tyler tie the knot in an extravagant church which i couldn’t comprehend the scope of. andrew and i got out for a humid run up and down (repeatedly) the mississippi. drinks were had, many times over, and good times were aplenty!

christmas came and went, so autumn and i decorated our door to celebrate. it felt like an actual christmas this year, and we had lots of fun designing our snowman snowscape together. i can’t wait to do it again next year. we also put our new christmas tree to work, and the joy autumn had in seeing it was priceless.

january was a hectic month. autumn and i were rushing to finish the fringe to hang at the wedding, so many a nights were spent focused on our designs. then, tofu got sick and needed special veterinary treatment… twice. a few night stay away to empty him out and a contentious return with the other incatitants added to the wedding stress we already had.

february came and the big event of the year, our wedding, was finally here! without going too into detail, it was an amazing day. i genuinely can’t imagine it going better. the love we felt and saw made us feel incredibly special, and i hope that autumn and i continue to remember how supported and loved we are as we continue loving one another. we had a day of relaxation, and jetted away to antigua for our honeymoon. it felt surreal to finally be married after a year of preparing, and we soaked in every second of it that we could. beach laying, swimming, delicious meals, good trips, and love for one another. such a relaxing and amazing time away from school and with one another, i can’t picture it having gone any better.

i started an extremely busy march by visiting hevani and max at their gender reveal! i’d never been to one before, and i can’t say that i fully understand the appeal, but it was fun to be there and help them celebrate! i’m sad that they ended up moving out of montrose, but am so glad we got to do something before they left.

not long after that, autumn helped me celebrate my birthday as we camped at huntsville state park. (perhaps a new annual tradition?) we had an exceptionally relaxing time as we played bags, cooked dogs on the fire, read books while we mocked, and soaked in the nature of it all. i even got autumn out for her very first trail run and i was extremely impressed with how she ran. there is no better feeling than being out in some wilderness, and sharing that with my beautiful wife was unforgettable. we left early one morning to make our way downtown so i could attend my first rodeo. i, of course, had to try all the fair food and i was not disappointed. pizza on a stick sticks out the most in my memory, but we had cookie dough, falafel, cheese and taki dust fried pickles, mini donuts, pickle pizza, and others during our one brief evening out. we capped it off with a zac brown concert which exceeded expectations, especially since i was able to cross a top 50 band off my list. truly a great weekend.

next up in march was the texas independence relay. i was a bit nervous to return with a team that i knew little about, but it was an absolute blast. i ran the same three routes that i did last year, and was faster on each of the three. i had been training much more than the previous year and i felt more prepared, but was still worried about how it all would go. the team ran well and we had a great flow going for taking care of the runners on the course. camaraderie was felt, bonding was teamed, and i left with a hope that i am again invited to next year’s run. i love the challenge and want to be even better next year.

then of course, the second major event of the year was my graduation! it has felt like such a major weight off of my shoulders to free myself from the burdens of doing school work. i’ve had such a relaxing time delving back into reading and video games without feeling guilty for it. i can’t say that i feel any different, work-wise, than i did before, but i am enjoying my relative freedom to say the least. i was thankful for everyone who showed up to support me and congratulate me. it wasn’t perfect, but i enjoyed being celebrated.

other things happened along the way, but i don’t want to talk about everything. this was just a good way for me to get thoughts on paper and back in the groove of using this blog, something that is a major goal for me over the next few months.

_{do great; be happy}