Key West, Florida...

 Key West is one of those places that I have always wanted to visit, but we never have.  We had a long weekend back in January and thought it was the perfect time to check it off of our list.  It was going to *hopefully* be a celebration of me passing my nurse practitioner boards.  Spoiler alert:  I passed!

We stayed at the Reach Resort, which is one of the few hotels with a beach.  We did not really have a lot of plans for the weekend other than relaxing and eating our way around the island.

Ironically enough, there was snow on the ground when we left Kansas City.

The first order of business was lunch and an Aperol Spritz!

We went for a walk and the next thing you know we were at the other end of the island.  We found a brewery and stopped for some drinks.

Stopping off for drinks.  We loved all of the outdoor seating.

Sunset at our hotel

Sunset watching with an Aperol Spritz

Our hotel was absolutely beautiful!

If this picture does not make you laugh, I have no idea what is wrong with you!  It is the same robe, just different heights.  This may have been happening while we were ordering pizza delivery.  He will do anything to make me happy.

Did you even go to Key West if you do not have this photo?  Sadly,  I took this on a run and did not get one of Ken and me there.

Out for an amazing brunch with this suspicious character behind me.  

Enjoying the beach at the hotel

Oceanside Aperol Spritz.  In case you have not noticed, an Aperol Spritz is kind of my drink of choice.

Key West is beautiful with the sun shining!

Such a beautiful view at the Reach Resort.

We wrapped up our trip with an amazing brunch that included key lime mimosas followed by an amazing dinner with great fish.   

Time away is always good for the soul and I am glad that we got to check Key West off of our list.  We will think of this trip with great memories for quite a while.  Now only if we could recreate those key lime mimosas at home...

Prairie Spirit Trail 100K...

A few weeks ago, Ken ran the Prairie Spirit Trail 100K.  That's right, Ken, the non-runner, ran a race.  Not just a race, but an ultra.  Remember when we were in Moab and I posted a picture of us out running together?

Running 10 miles in Moab

Ken decided he wanted to run an ultra, so he registered, trained, and ran the 100K.  That is 62 miles for you non-running folks.  This was his first ever race too.  Yeah, my non-running husband chose a 100K for his first ever race.  

We left Kansas City and drove to Ottawa on Friday, and stopped off at a new brewery in town.  We went to the packet pick-up and pre-race meal, where we met Erin and Sean, who were both running the race.  Erin also recognized us from reading my blog, Hi Erin!!!  Afterward, we called it an early night, as the racer needed to get his beauty sleep.

Race #311 is ready!  Who is that in the background???

Miss Kya joined us and loved staying in the hotel.

We woke up early the next morning and drove to Celebration Hall for the pre-race details and start of the race.

Ken was ready to roll!

Ken's official pre-race photo

Kya and me at the race start.  I am pretty sure she is hoping and praying that her daddy drops a piece of his bagel.  A girl can dream.

Soon enough, the racers were off and Kya and I were off to Starbucks, because that is how we roll.  We immediately drove to Princeton to wait at the first aid station.  We both napped a bit and as the sun began to rise, we realized that it was snowing.  Ken came into the first aid station and was thrilled to see us.

Ken arriving in Princeton

Ken running as the sun rises. Those long legs sure make running look easy.

We refilled his water and snacks and he was on his way.  Kya and I drove to Richmond, the next aid station.  It was cold and still snowing, but we went out on the trail for a walk.  

Kya checking out the trail on her walk with mom. 

Ken in Princeton, shoveling in more food.

An official photo of Ken on the trial.  Isn't the trail beautiful?

After Princeton, Kya and I arrived in Garnett.  I worked on a little homework while Kya napped.  We had a great system in place as co-crew members.  Ken arrived at the Garnett depot, which was the scene of my meltdown in 2017.  Boy, that place looks different in the daylight.  I gave him some fresh gloves and snacks and he was on his way to Welda.  In Welda, Mike and Katie were meeting us so that they could help pace him.  

He was on his way and I met up with Mike and Katie for a little lunch in Garnett.  Can I just take a moment to talk about what wonderful friends Mike and Katie are?  They did not hesitate to come out and support Ken.  They were so excited to come out to help!  

Once in Welda, Mike took off with Ken for the first stretch of pacing, which was nine miles.  

Ken stopping off in Garnett, inbound from Welda.

Ken and Mike arrived in Garnett, with Ken looking strong and all smiles.  Ken and Katie took off for the next 8.5 miles to Richmond.  The rest of us drove to Richmond to anxiously await their arrival.

Kya and me waiting for Ken in Richmond.  We bundled up and took a little Theo nap while we waited.  

While we were waiting in Richmond, Michelle text me and told me she and Rob were on their way!  That's right, Rob and Michelle drove down to wish Ken well.  We have some pretty wonderful friends.  Ken and Katie arrived in Richmond and Ken was still all smiles!  He was thrilled to see Rob and Michelle.

Ken with his crew of pacers.  Nevermind that Mike looks like a serial killer.  

I was off to pace Ken for the next 13 miles.  I was so excited that it was finally my turn to pace.  Ken has always been so supportive of me during all of my events, that I was thrilled to be able to do the same for him.  

He was still in great spirits while we ran along.  He only got mad at me once when I turned my rap music up a little too high.  I thought it was encouraging, but I guess not!  

Pacing at sunset

Darkness set in and so did a wee bit of confusion.  It was not anything too crazy, but Ken did say that he understood the issue with my sock when I ran the 100 miler.  Delirium is real folks.  We kept pushing and soon enough, we were back in Ottawa and saw the lights to the finish line.  Ken ran ahead and was officially an ultra finisher!  He finished his first ever race, a 100K in 15 hours and 43 minutes!  I was so proud of him!

So proud!

Mike and Katie were waiting at the finish line with a fresh beer for Ken.  

He did such an amazing job, not only on the day of the race but with all of his training.  He worked his butt off training for this race.

Angel hopes that Uncle Ken runs more ultras for all the naps.  

Champagne to celebrate!  

You might be wondering what is next?  Well, Ken is unsure what he will do next, but is considering a 100 miler or maybe a mountain 50 miler?  I have a 100 miler planned for September and we both have a 100 mile hike in the Alps planned for July.  Cheers!

2018 Missouri River 340...

Well, Ken did it again.  Last year after he finished, he never said he would not do it again, so I should not be surprised that he registered for this race again in January.  He had fun doing it last year and wanted to take what he learned and apply it to this year.

What that meant for me was that I was going to get to take three days to drive across Missouri again, yay.  Actually, I did not mind it at all, it was kind of fun.

I was solo the first full day and then Ken's parents met me in Jefferson City on day two and were with me until the end.  We had a lot of fun and I even got to impress Bill and Linda with my driving on windy roads.  After all, I am a small town girl at heart.

Ken at the start of the race in Kansas City

I always think this view of downtown is pretty

After Ken started, I ran 15 miles since I have a small race of my own looming around the corner.  Ken called me to let me know he was going to be at his first stop earlier than expected, so I hustled to drop Kya off at the vet and go to meet Ken,  

I met Ken in Waverly and it was nice to see him and that he was in good spirits.  I gave him his night gear and made my way to Marshall, MO for the night to stay in a hotel.  

Ken happy in Waverly

The next morning I met Ken in my favorite small town of Glasgow, MO.  He got there around 8:30, and sadly the winery I visited last year was not open so I had to skip it.  I ran around the downtown area, stopped for some cookies at a bakery and drove to Franklin Island.  

Leaving Glasgow

Ken was still quite a bit ahead of where he was hoping to be, so he made plans to get to Jefferson City and continue on from there to find a place to camp.  

We saw Ken at Coopers Landing and Jefferson City, before we called it a night.  

The next morning we met Ken in New Haven before he powered on.  I like to think that the Casey's breakfast pizza I provided in New Haven made an impact on him finishing faster than last year.

Ken and Justin leaving New Haven

The ground crew stopped off at wineries for wine tasting before making our way to St. Charles for the finish.  Ken's goal was to finish before 7:00 pm, which was about 5 hours earlier than he planned and about 20 hours faster than last year.

Coming into the finish line at 6:00 pm!

So very proud of him!

Justin and Ken, MR 340 under 60 hour finishers!

We stayed the night in St. Charles and drove home on Friday.  Ken was pretty tired since his sleep was pretty messed up from the race.  I believe he got less than 6 hours of sleep total during the race.  

While cleaning up, someone decided to check out her dad's kayak.  Maybe she is wanting to go on a kayaking trip?

Kya the Kayaker.  She is so sweet to appease me and let me get her picture in there.

Well, that was the MR 340 2018.  The jury is still out on if Ken will do it again next year.  He has debated about doing it with a partner for something different.  Let's be 100% clear, that partner is not me.  This girl plans on keeping her feet on the ground, well, unless it involves swimming 2.4 miles in the river.  

Congratulations Ken!  You make your family of five so proud!

The Arizona Biltmore...

Last weekend Ken and I had a little getaway to Scottsdale, AZ for a weekend at the Arizona Biltmore.  It was a little pre-anniversary celebration complete with sunshine, wine, and pina coladas.  It was absolutely perfect and just what we needed!

We had an early morning flight on Saturday morning and arrived to the hotel around 8:30 am.  We quickly changed and made our way to the pool for cocktails and sunshine!

It was a beautiful, blue sky day!

Ken is ready for the pool!  If you look behind Ken, there is a falconer and one of his hawks.  We talked to him for a bit and apparently the Biltmore hires him on the weekends to walk around with his hawk known as The Hitman, to scare off the birds.  The best part about this whole scenario is that after watching him all day, I told Ken that the hawk was the most well behaved creature I have ever seen and that I was shocked that he did not try to escape.  Ken looked at me and laughed and told me that the bird was, indeed, on a leash.  Yeah, I did not realize that.  We laughed about it for the rest of the day!  Innocence!

Pina coladas are one of my favorite parts about staying at the Biltmore.

Enjoying the sunshine together

Our friend Barb met us for lunch at the pool.  It has been a year and a half since we have gotten to see her, so it was amazing to catch up with her.  After lunch, we continued to get some sunshine and swim around in the pool.

Strawberry daiquiri anyone?

Ken is the only person that comes to the desert and forgets his sunglasses.  

Our afternoon at the pool was extremely relaxing.

After our pool time, we went into the Ocatilla lounge for wine and appetizers.  We had plans to get dinner, but we were full from all of the delicious snacks in the lounge.  We walked around the property before going back to our room for a little TV and an early bed time.

We woke up on Sunday and went for a long walk on the trail that runs along the canals outside of the resort.  I ran a little and then we had breakfast in the Ocatilla lounge.  During this time we learned that Ken's parents were still in old town Scottsdale so we agreed to meet up with them for lunch a little later.  We spent the remainder of the morning walking around enjoying the beautiful grounds of the resort.

The beautiful Biltmore grounds

Every US President since Hebert Hoover has stayed at the Biltmore.  Ronald and Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon at this resort.  It is easy to see why.

More of the beautiful grounds

Bill and Linda picked us up and we went to Postino for lunch.  We had delicious wine and the most amazing bruschetta ever.

Mother's Day lunch at Postino

After lunch, Ken and I went to the pool.  We went to the Ocatilla pool for little quieter afternoon.  

Double fisting pina coladas after the bartender over made.  

After the pool, we grabbed wine and appetizers in the Ocatilla lounge and relaxed around the grounds.

Enjoying wine in the shade at the Biltmore

This turned out to be Ken's favorite picture of the entire trip.  Figures!

We decided to play mini golf on the course that is on the grounds.  Have I mentioned how much I despise golf of any type?

Ken beating me one handed.

A tall Keri shadow

Ken pretending he is on the PGA tour

My happy golfer

The next morning was more running, walking, and relaxing before we took an Uber to In-n-Out before making our way to the airport.

Better than any meal you can get at a resort!

We had such an amazing little getaway together.  Thank you Ken for spoiling me so much!