Mini
This past weekend was the weekend I was supposed to run the half marathon. Although my training was cut short and I was unable to participate in the race, Sweets and I still made our way to Indianapolis to support our friend, Emily, in her first racing endeavor.
We drove to Kokomo, Indiana on Friday night, where we were greeted by our friends, Emily and Stuart (some of you will remember we met them while honeymooning in Costa Rica), their friends (Nathalie and Chuck) and some gorgeously grilled steaks. SoMi met their dog, Zoey, for the first time, too. Zoey loves her home, loves her parents and wasn’t afraid to tell SoMi to scat. It definitely was not love at first sight. =)
Saturday, we left the house around 5:15AM in order to make the hour plus trek to Indianapolis. Stuart, Sweets and I tried to see Emily off at the start line. But, with 35,000 runners, it was too difficult to find her. So, we watched all the other runners and then grabbed breakfast with a number of the friends and spouses while Emily and her friends completed the race.
Nilsa & SoMi patiently waiting on race day
Stuart and Sweets hanging out during the race
Diva Zoey with her Starbucks and bling
We met Emily at the finish line. She did it – her first race and her first half marathon. Though physically tired, her spirits were high. Personally, I think she made an oustanding showing!
Post-race Emily, who was all smiles for the rest of the day!
Emily was a sport the rest of the day as we grabbed lunch with all her friends who also completed the race. And then we went to this funky neighborhood called Broad Ripple (though on at least one occasion, I called it Broad Nipple – what, I can’t help it!). It’s a cute little neighborhood in Indy where dogs rule.
The town exists! I couldn't make this up!
Check out this guy – he was all dressed up in his cowboy gear with his three little fru-fru dogs. He was hilarious. As he sipped his Budweiser, he talked baby talk to the dogs.
Cowboy sporting three wee dogs.
Saturday night, we kept things low key while watching Role Models (a high school classmate of mine wrote the script to this movie!) and Superbad.
Sunday, Sweets and I said goodbye to our friends in Kokomo with promises of a summer visit in Chicago. And spent the rest of our time with old friends of mine, Beth & Jeff. I met this really great couple in Chicago about 10 years ago. They’ve since moved to Indianapolis and had a couple of really adorable little boys. It was great to reunite with them (I haven’t seen them in years and if it wasn’t for Facebook, probably wouldn’t have talked to them in that long, either). And it was particularly special to introduce Sweets to them. Good times that afternoon and we hope to see them in Chicago next month. (And like a dunce, I forgot to bring my camera out during our visit.)
All in all, our trip to Indianapolis was splendid. I won’t let the supposed-to-be-3-hour-turned-5-hour drive home, thanks to 3 rest stops (what, we drank a lot of tea & coffee that day!) and stoopid construction, ruin what was a really fabulous weekend with dear friends. We look forward to seeing them again both in Chicago and on future trips to Indianapolis.
Hope everyone else had a great weekend, too!
May 4th, 2009 at 7:43 am
It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend!!!! How fun! And I love the Cowboy with his baby talk to the three wee dogs!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:33 am
What a great weekend you all had and the perfect weather to boot. I am glad it was a chance for you to reconnect with some friends.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:40 am
That cowboy looks like he’s tossing back the mustard in a serious way.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:45 am
We had a fabulous time!! Thank you so much for making the trip. It was so nice to have you waiting at the finish line for me =) Oh, and I didn’t know you referred to Broad Ripple as Broad Nipple. Hilarious! I was obviously too exhausted to notice. Man, what a great weekend!!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:46 am
SoMi is so adorable! And Zooey definitely looks like a cute little diva.
Congrats to your friend! Glad you guys had such a great time there. :)
May 4th, 2009 at 8:47 am
This is the first time I’m stopping by in a while and I just saw your new layout. It’s so awesome! I’m loving the new look :)
May 4th, 2009 at 9:22 am
A town for dogs? That sounds like a must-see destination for me =)
Sounds like a great weekend. Over my weekend I started thinking about running the half marathon that’s in Chicago this September. I’ll keep you posted!
May 4th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I love that there’s a whole “dog friendly” neighborhood of the city. That is fabulous!
May 4th, 2009 at 9:49 am
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May 4th, 2009 at 10:35 am
That sounds like a fantastic weekend. I am so happy for your friend — her first race and it was a half-marathon, thats great! My grandfather is a race walker and has a half marathon coming up at the end of the month, this year will be the 14th or 15th year he’s competed I think. Its always fun to go watch and cheer on the participants.
May 4th, 2009 at 11:28 am
What a great weekend!
May 4th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Sounds like a great weekend! I’m sorry you weren’t able to run, but it looks like you made the best of the weekend anyway. And thanks for the pictures!!
May 4th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I was definitely expecting Zoey to be this big dog after reading your overview of the meeting b/t she and Somi. But no! She’s a tiny little fiesty thing! HA! Emily looks splendid to have just finished her first hafl! Way to go! And what a cool place the ripple spot seems to be! So glad you captured a pic of the cowboy who baby talked to his little dogs!!! Y’all had a weekend packed full of fun and friends! Despite the “stoopid” traffic, you can’t ask for much more!!!
May 4th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
That cowboy is so funny! I love the juxtaposition of the dainty dogs with his outfit and beer choice. :-)
Glad you had a great weekend.
May 4th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
what a great weekend!! and major congrats to emily -- that’s awesome :-)
May 4th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I would have loved to see that cowboy sweet-talking his lapdogs. It takes all types, doesn’t it?
May 4th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
First off, nice new home. I’m behind in my blog reading.
And congrats on a race well ran.
May 4th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
What a good friend you are! Sounds like a good weekend and I’m sure you really added to the marathon experience. Feel free to come cheer me on in California any time. :P
May 4th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Sounds like a great weekend. And that cowboy with wee dogs, too funny!
May 4th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
What a great road trip. So sweet of you to go cheer your friend in her first race! You runners amaze me.
May 4th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Aww that sounds like a great weekend! So glad you guys had fun.
FYI: Can I e-mail you with self hosting, WordPress move questions?
May 5th, 2009 at 7:01 am
What a fun weekend! It’s so nice to have friends to cheer you on when you are running. I’ve been reading a lot about the Indianapolis Mini on different blogs. It sounds really fun!
May 11th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Looks like fun! LOL at all the little dogs! That man would definitely have been entertaining to watch. :P