Lexus and Ahmara Visit

Eric and Staci moved to Arizona in August, but Lexus and Ahmara already got to come back for a visit! Staci and the girls flew to Minnesota for a wedding, so we went to LP to spend the night with the girls. Adam was so happy to see his nieces!

Emma and Ally came to see the girls as well. Below is Adam and Ally. Ally showed us how fast she can crawl - she is getting so big!

The Filthy 5K

Our friend, Joe, co-owns a great running store on

Broadway in downtown Fargo, called Beyond Running. http://www.gobeyondrunning.com/

(Don't judge Joe because of his mustache.)

Beyond Running puts on a yearly race event

unlike any other, called the Filthy 5K.This morning Adam, Katie, Kristi and I participated in the

2nd Annual Filthy 5K at MB Johnson Park in Moorhead. It is a trail run

where they encourage getting dirty and having fun,

over running hard and fast like other races.

It rained all day Friday, so the course was good and muddy.

Here we are running through one of many

large puddles throughout the course!

Below, Katie and Kristi take on another large puddle.

Next, Adam and his mustache aslo trek through.

Right before the finish line we had to run down a steep muddy hill and then try to climb up the other side to get to the end of the race. Kristi and I didn't quite make it up on our first try and slid down the muddy slope a time or two. My niece Lexi was there at the finish to hand me my medal - soap on a rope.Here we are at the Filthy Finish

Here is a close up of our fabulous "medals" as well as the cute shirts we got for running.

We ate pigs in a blanket (a breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake), drank hot chocolate and chatted with our spectators, my sister Brooke, nieces Lexi and Kaitlyn, and my mom, while we waited for the Filthy Mustache Contest.

Adam was a proud participant in the Filthy Mustache Contest, which coincided with the Filthy 5K race. He grew this beauty for a full 2 weeks! IS THIS HIDEOUS OR WHAT!?! There were a number of categories he could've won, but sadly his 'stache failed to bring home a prize. The categories were Most Pathetic, Creepiest, Most Absorbent of Food & Drink and Best Overall. Check out the competition below. Here are all the contest participants in all their mustache glory!

Better luck next year Adam!

Twin Cities 10 Mile Race

On Sunday at 7:13 a.m., Adam and I, along with 7 of our friends,

ran the Twin Cities 10 Mile. We began our race at the Metrodome

in Minneapolis and finished at the Capitol in St. Paul.

Unfortunately the weather took at turn for the worse

around mile 8 and rain began pelting down on us!

Adam finished in 1 hour and 40 minutes and

I crossed the finish line close behind, at 1 hour and 44 minutes. After we finished, we met up with friends who were already done

and waited for others that were still running.

It was so cold and rainy that this is the only race photo we got!

This is part of our running team trying to keep warm post-race.

They are friends of ours from law school.

After seeing everyone and saying goodbye,

Adam and I had to wait for a shuttle back to the Metrodome

in the freezing wind and rain.

I honestly thought that was worse than the actual run!The Friday before the race we met up with some fellow 10 mile racers who went to Iraq with us. We ate at the Bonfire in St. Paul and stayed for Dueling Pianos.

It was so great to see our old Army buddies! This is Dana and Holly.

Dana's husband Brian went to Iraq with us, as did Holly.
Below is Erin and Melissa, also fellow Army girls. Here is a group photo of the ladies, the guys were there, as you can see below, but they aren't as cute as we are - especially not Adam. He is growing a mustache for a race next Sunday. Our Iraq reunions are few and far between these days.

We will have to plan another soon!

Swearing In

After you pass the bar exam, you have to get sworn in by a judge.

I finally got my family together at the courthouse for my swearing in. This is the judge I work for administering the oath! It's official - I'm a licensed attorney in Minnesota!

Oh Jim, I've Missed You!

I'm anxiously awaiting the premiere of The Office tonight at 8:00 p.m.

I've been converting people into Office fans all summer by loaning out all of the previous seasons to friends and family. People can't help but see the light -

The Office is the best show on television!