Skip to main content

I'm Practically a Soldier Now

This morning Tim had to work in Chattanooga so I decided to be seriously exciting and....also work this morning. I know, I know. When does the fun STOP, am I right? This afternoon we were so close to hitting a rave and then getting our midday drink on but then we just decided to go all out and hike around a Civil War Battlefield along the historical trail and check out the monuments instead.

Scene of the Crime : Chickamauga Battlefield National Park (AKA that place I ran a marathon that one time). Turns out it is a lot more fun to hike the trails at a moderate pace than it is to run for 26.2 miles. Go figure. 

We covered 9 miles in about three and a half hours. This accounts for a little snack break and maybe also an impromptu photo shoot where we wanted to see if we could remember how to do cartwheels. Heads up: we can't. Well, maybe technically we can but it's not pretty.




That's right, Tim. If I'm going down I'm bringing you with me. See that blue sky in the background? It was like that all day. Not a cloud in the sky, sunny and in the high 50s all day.  There are miles of paved roads and trails and we hit up a mixture of both since we were following the history tour map (thanks Google). I wish we had counted how many cannon we saw throughout the day - it's insane. Definitely upwards of a hundred, I would say. Plus the tower:


So unusual to see such a medieval looking structure in the middle of a giant field in Georgia. It is a watchtower but wasn't until 30 years after the Civil War ended, so...I guess it looks nice. There's that. 

I want to say there were at least ten times that either Tim or I stopped to say, "Wow. This is so gorgeous." You know those days when the weather is so nice everything just looks gorgeous. That's how I felt today. The freaking porta potties and parking lots were gorgeous. That kind of day. 



I have to say it was pretty incredible to walk in the footsteps of Civil War generals along some of the trails. Although I'm a history buff my major was Modern European History so I don't know all that much about the US Civil War - but this was fascinating.

And then, after a great afternoon of hiking, I feasted on Arby's chicken tenders and diet coke. Just like the soldiers would have done after battle. Maybe. 

History lover? Or want to gouge out your eyes when people talk about anything that happened before you were born?
Ancient history bores me. I'll admit it. Egyptians, Mayans, Romans...bored. Maybe because there are fewer things to relate to? I love World War I and II though and nearly anything from the 20th century. 

Are you living somewhere that does daylight savings tonight?
I'll bitch about the lack of sleep tonight and losing an hour but this summer I'll be more than happy to watch the sun go down at 10pm.

Comments

  1. I'm excited about the clocks going forward an hour because I'm working nightshift tonight!! (7pm to 7am) so I get to leave work an hour early. It's the little things in life...

    ReplyDelete
  2. History is not my thing, never has been. I think it all started when we had to write silly long essays during school about things that happened sooooo long ago it put me off, maybe I need to ignite a passion for something historical now theres a thought!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the reminder about the time change!

    I love your pictures. It WAS a beautiful day. And I am fascinated by the American Civil War... so many important things came out of it. But I do like ancient history too. Just not toooo much at a time.

    I never tried to do a cartwheel. Somehow, the ground coming at my face so quickly just freaks me out! Good for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the pics of you and Tim in the fields & the tower is so cool! Yep - time change. I'm up and sooo tired right now. But I have to get ready for my last minute half! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm so jealous!! That looks so fun. I love history and I love hikes. :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like a great hike! I love learning about all history, but hate retaining that knowledge for exams!

    ReplyDelete
  7. First- I think the most shocking part of this post is that you majored in Modern European History - really? Hmmmm, never would have guessed that!!!!

    Second, it does look amazing there! And YES, it does look like a WAY better place without the threat of 26.2 miles at a rapid pace looming under your running shoes.

    Yes, Northeast Indiana does the time change. When I grew up here and even the first couple of years after I returned, we did not observe daylight savings time - but now, alas, we do. Though, every year in the state house there is a bill that begs to either stop changing or to change which time zone we align with. My secret to dealing with it (though, not so much last night) is to move the clocks ahead (or back in the Fall) starting at like 6 or 7 p.m. and "trick' my brain into beginning to believe it's later (or earlier) than it is. It works pretty well, but honestly, it usually takes me a week or two to feel fully in sync with the time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. definitely a history lover- I have a BA in it! I studied Rennaisance and Tudor England history, though.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ooo looks fun! We have a few battlefields I've ran here....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cartwheels - y'all are too cute!
    DST. Yes. And I had a race this morning, an hour away. That made for what felt like a VERY early wake up call!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love ancient history. I would be an Egyptologist in a heart beat.

    Cartwheel fun fact: one of my running club friends did 2 cartwheels at mile 26 at the marathon this morning and still finished in 3:35. That's skillz.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i was on the phone with my mom having a serious conversation and started laughing when i read your arby's quip. my mom asked what was so funny and i said, "ah... i just read a really funny civil war-chicken joke. um, sorry." (i felt it wasn't the right time to explain the concept of a "blog" to my mother, the woman who when asked if she uses windows or mac says, "i use google.")

    ReplyDelete
  13. It's truly amazing how many things are more fun than running 26.2 miles, isn't it?

    One time I got into a cartwheel contest at a wine festival. Now THERE'S a good idea.

    We went to Gettysburg overnight and toured Civil War battlefields for our first dating anniversary....soo......

    ReplyDelete
  14. Allan and I have been meaning to go there so I'm glad it's worth the drive. We are both history lovers!

    The whole spring forward thing has not been as great as I was hoping it would be. I'm pooped!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like history when it's interesting :P.

    I'm so excited for more sun with the daylight savings time, but my body had a terrible time coping with it this morning. I slept til 10 am.

    ReplyDelete
  16. That sounds like a fun hike! I like History when it's thrown together with a good story! Also, hurray for Daylight Savings! Except I got one less hour of sleep today.

    ReplyDelete
  17. yay for the time change...we were ready for it!!!

    what a fun hike and seeing all of that history...pretty cool! LOVE the pics, as usual!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. mmmk, the last time i did a cart-wheel i think i was about 8 and a foot shorter, now i'm certain i'd just pull a belly flop on the ground!! lol.

    i'm really, really selective in any kind of history that will hold my interest...haha. battle stuff, eh, i zone out. but there are periods that i really do get into; medieval times, the Elizabethan Era, the Geishas, and actually the ancient Egyptians do it for me too...so hit and miss...haha.

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a beautiful place to hike!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beautiful pictures! What an awesome day. I love history but more WWI and more recent. I do like some of the ancient stuff though and saw a really awesome exhibit at the Boston Museum of Modern Art on Egypt and it was pretty cool.

    I can still do cartwheels!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sounds like an awesome day! Love, love, love all of the pictures. :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a wonderful day! Sounds like you had a lot of fun! My uncle works for the park and is always talking about how nice it is! Glad you enjoyed your day!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Race the Bar 5k Recap (AKA: A Personal Worst!)

Do you remember a few weeks back, when I was all braggy about running in Florida in February/March? Sunny mornings around a lake with a light breeze off the water have turned, cruelly, into humid stretches of time where I am humbly reminded of my own limitations. You guys, I see these gazelle-like creatures, men and women alike, who prance on my running route with compression socks, a soft glow of perspiration at their brow. It's beautiful. It's also a harsh reminder that I am not them. I am currently running in the thinnest, smallest items of clothing I can without offending anyone (shirt stays on, people). I dare not step outside without some awful visor or wide-brimmed hat. When I hop in the shower after a run, my face is a deep crimson that causes my husband to voice his concern for my general well-being. Have I mentioned this is what happens after my easy runs, with a few walk breaks thrown in? Yeah. It's humbling. Now, I'm not complaining. It's beautiful

1st Wedding Anniversary--Celebrating with Chocolate!

One year ago today, I married the love of my life. And I couldn't be happier! In celebration of our very first anniversary, here are some pictures of our favorite moments together: Our first trail race together Hiking together in GA And of course, our wonderful wedding in Hong Kong. We both decided to keep things very simple, with a casual ceremony with a few friends and family and then lunch at the Mandarin Oriental. Exactly what I wanted! With our parents after making it official! Our entire wedding party. Just family and dear friends! Goofing around with my garter at the reception lunch! You think you know what couples do after they get married? You know, their first night at man and wife? If you guessed eat ridiculously delicious chocolates in their bed at the Grand Hyatt, you're right.  Oh, I haven't changed. One year later and I still celebrate with sweet things! Thanks Tim, for being a wonderful husband. I love you!

Brace Yourselves: Cuteness is Coming

One of the hardest things about moving, for me, was wondering how the cats would adjust each time. Although our cats are super travelers at this stage, I feel really guilty every time we have to pack them up and force them onto a plane. I remember my grandma telling me years ago that when she moved with a cat, they put butter on their paws. That way, the cats spent the first day in a new house licking their paws to get them clean, and that was enough time to lose the "smell" of the old house. I love that story, and I wish the same principle applied to longer moves. Anyway, that's a super long intro to say that for the fellow cat ladies out there, our three fur babies are insanely happy in this jungle gym of a home here in Florida. It's warm, there are plenty of sunny spots to curl up a take a nap, and they have lots of room to spread out. Despite the space, of course, they still usually want to take a nap on my head at night. Obviously. They also love climbing on ou