I Met a Fella at #AWBU

Well that probably caught your attention but I must report that I'm still in fact single! I did however meet a handsome fella while out on a run this weekend during the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged conference in Mountain View, AR.  And a random side note...there was actually a marriage proposal at #AWBU.  Gina got engaged to her long time boyfriend Tom in a very touching proposal!

Back to the run...I got up early on Saturday and headed out at o'dark hundred to get in a run.  I was glad that I packed my head lamp and Knucklelights because it was dark at 5:45.  Mountain View was still quite sleepy that early in the morning which let me pay attention to the sounds of my run.  There was the rustling in the trees as a bird took flight and several times I heard cows mooing yet I never saw a cow.  I also kept hearing roosters crow as the sky lightened and I discovered that trucks are very popular in a small town.  The blog conference started on Friday and one of the sessions was all about blogging with your senses.  Starting my run in the dark without headphones really helped me to focus on the sounds which I don't normally pay much attention to during a run. 

I took a very odd approach to this run and it is one that I don't often recommend...the unplanned route! Yikes, what a scary concept but a really fun way to explore an unfamiliar town.  The joy of a small town though is that you can't get too lost.  I decided to head East on Main Street and explore further into town since I had come in from the West.  I had heard rumor that there were some fast food joints and stores in town and I wanted to try to find them without having even looked at a map of the town.

Surprise, surprise I was on the right path.  My run on Main Street took me past some small local shops at first and then off in the distance I started to see lights.  I kept running through the main intersection and passed a horse farm and across the street was the handsome fella that I mentioned earlier.  You might remember him from back when you were in school since that's when I first met him...

Smokey the Bear! Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires. 

I have always loved Smokey the Bear and I'm not kidding that even as a high school and college kid I got excited for the 4th of July Watch Hill parade just to see Smokey the Bear in the final truck.  It was always like Santa riding in at the end of the Macy's parade except in Watch Hill for 4th of July is was Smokey! Anyway, he was kind enough to pose for a picture with me and then I got back on track with my run. 

I arrived in Mountain View on Friday with a headache and decided to run into the Walmart that I had passed earlier on my run.  I had packed $20 in my water belt and knew that I could pick up some $0.88 generic over-the-counter medicines.  I quickly shopped for the headache medicines and a bottle of water.  I stashed the medicines in my water belt and then enjoyed the new sound from the shaking pills in the acetaminophen bottle as I continued my run. 

Not the most flattering pic but look how handy my Camelbak water belt is!

I ended up with 6.5 hot and humid miles and felt great even with the hills.  I finished up and returned to my cabin to get ready for the conference.  The cabin was quaint and had some cute peg hooks that were just perfect for hanging up my wet clothing to dry.  I decided it would make a cute photo for my blog since I forgot to take many pictures while I was running. 

My first photo...this is what I would have ended up with before the conference.

My final photo...this is what I was able to do when I slowed down and used the tips that Jenny Marrs had given us during her photography session.  It was fun to see the progression of the photos as I worked on the styling and lighting in the pictures.  I'm excited to keep practicing these tips and others that I learned over the weekend. 

More to come on my fun weekend at camp with #AWBU!