Thirty One and Counting...

I've heard many people say that their 31st birthday was uneventful, paling in comparison to how the year before was celebrated. I have to say that I can't agree.

My family surprised me the night before my birthday by driving two hours each way just to have dinner with me.  My older sister told me earlier in the week that she would be in town, so I was expecting her, but I was shocked when I saw my mother, younger sister, and nephew coming through the front door.  It was hard for me to hold back the tears because I was so overcame with the joy of seeing them. 

The next day-- my actual birthday, my girlfriend and I ran 3.1 miles around Waterfront Park and downtown Louisville to celebrate 31 years being blessed to live on this planet and to celebrate being fit enough to run that distance.  Afterwards, we decided to ruin our run by eating sushi for lunch, and I have to say it was worth it. 

Later that evening, we decided to go to Downs After Dark. Until then, I had never been to Churchill Downs, and since I’m officially a Louisvillian now, I had to fix that.  The theme for the night was Brews, Boots, and BBQ.  While my girlfriend was excited to have another excuse to put on some fun shoes, I was looking forward to eating some good food and having fun at the track.  

One would think that I would have luck on my side due to the special occasion; that was not the case.  My girlfriend won on the first race with 36:1 odds.  Let's just say that my ego was a little bruised since I had a more complicated strategy that just betting on the horse with a cool name, but it was all in the name of fun.  The rest of the night was wonderful as we ran into a few of my friends from different circles who believed that bourbon was a proper birthday present. I obliged.

To round out the weekend, my college friends and their significant others came over to the house for dinner.  It was the first time that we hosted a big gathering for people since moving to Old Louisville, and it went really well.  It took me back to college days as we were sitting around playing spades and reminiscing about the past.  

In all, I had a great birthday.  This year's festivities spanned three days, and I have to say the party has kept going every day since then. I am thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life and to the places to which God has lead me. Here’s to 31 and counting

Summer Anticipation

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there.  Tonight's post features pictures that I have taken over the past couple of weeks.  With summer officially beginning this week, I am excited with the anticipation of the fun, events, and pictures of the season.  Please enjoy and thanks again for much of your support.

Float from Louisville Pride Festival

Louisville Bats

Cincinnati, OH

Louisville Color Run

Louisville Color Run

Matlock World Peace

George Rogers Clark at the Belvedere

Macro of a Baseball

Juneau What I Mean

It's hard to believe that I've let a month in Kentucky pass without posting about Alaska.  For a land known as the Last Frontier, there were many firsts for me.  The first time I saw a glacier, the Pacific Ocean, and being on the West Coast.  It was truly an amazing time.  We went on an Alaskan cruise through Holland America.  We visited Juneau, Sitka, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and Victoria (Canada).

After boarding the ship in Seattle and a full day at sea, we docked in Juneau.  I anticipated that the weather would be freezing as there is a preconceived notion that Alaska is so cold.  I did not realize that Southeastern Alaska is a temperate rainforest and had more rain than snow.  So, the high for the day was low 60's.  We took one of the excursions offered on the ship that took us to the Salmon Hatchery, Glacier Gardens, and Mendenhall Glacier.

A memorable part of this excursion was being dropped off at Mendenhall Glacier with an hour to visit the park.  One of the attractions at the park was Nugget Falls.  There was a trail that led to Nugget Falls, but the entire trail took 45 minutes.  Those who know me well, know that I am not the best with managing time, especially when limited to a tight schedule.  We acknowledged the length of trail but persisted onward; it was one of the best decisions we've made together. Trudging through the arctic beach was thrilling-- every step closer to the mist of the majestic falls. Upon arrival, I was in awe. Nugget Falls is the waterfall I've always wanted to photograph. We broke out the tripod, took touristy photos, and who can forget the customary couple-shot. We even small-talked with other visitors. Then we realized the time and hauled butt back to the visitor center.

The tour bus left at 5:30 to go back to the ship, and with seconds to spare, we got on the bus at 5.29.  With healthy glistens on our foreheads, we panted as we looked around the bus and realized that we were the youngest couple on the tour. Judging from the murmurs as we boarded, we quickly gained the reputation as the gallivanting, Gen-X couple that flirted and dared the clock. The bus full of Baby Boomers had been waiting on us for about 15 minutes to load, concerned we would be left and ultimately not make it back on our cruise ship.  No regrets-- life is an adventure, and at least I have it well-documented.  :)

After the excursion, we met up with my girlfriend's mother's high school friend, Mario, who has lived in Juneau for 28 years.  He was gracious enough to give us our own private tour since Juneau is a small city, as evidenced by most every local recognizing and greeting him everywhere we went. I did not realize that Juneau is on an island in Southeast Alaska and that the only way into it is via plane or boat.  As the capital of Alaska, I guess I assumed that it had access to the rest of the state via roads or interstate.  

After riding through town, Mario took us to Bernadette's, which is a Filipino restaurant that is known for its BBQ.  After eating some great authentic Filipino food and having great conversation, we left feeling really pleased with our trip to Juneau and excited about the remainder of the trip.   We were in Alaska!!! Juneau, what I mean?

Alaskan Sunset

Getting into Juneau 

Glaciers at Mendenhall Glacier Park

Mendenhall Glacier Park

Mendenhall Glacier Park

Glacier Gardens

Nugget Falls

What'd Juneau About That?

Famous Red Dog Saloon

Pancit (left), Egg Rolls (top), Pork Fried Rice (bottom)

Filipino BBQ