play time

We've had a busy week, helping out around the farm with wedding preparations, a little bit of picking,  squeezing in some fast/flat runs, dinners with friends every evening, and trying to stay awake at the proper times. Today we spent some time with Rika and Teddy together before departing for the bachelor and bachelorette events this weekend. The men traveling to Wisconsin for kayaking and camping while the girls are headed to Chicago for cupcakes and karaoke. Before we go, we must visit the chickens. 

rika

Today our task was to keep this curly-haired cutie occupied so that everyone else could get some stuff done. We had a busy day feeding the chickens, collecting eggs, hugging each of the chickens, chasing them and being chased.

"Do you want to pet the chicken, Uncle Derek?"

She was really proud of me for catching them, too.

After we wore out the chickens, we picked flowers, checked the bluebird boxes for nests, played on the slide, strung beads, and went swimming. All before lunch.

teddy

We came to the farm today, where we'll spend most of our stay in Illinois, helping out with wedding preparations. Our nephew Teddy just woke from a nap and we spent the afternoon getting reacquainted with him and meeting the new chickens.

Another birthday to celebrate, and more cake!

beecher, beatles, birthdays

We arrived at O'Hare Friday evening and spent the weekend with my family. A trip to Beecher, a Beatles tribute, visiting with family, a few flat runs in horrible heat and humidity, and celebrating my mom's birthday.

sweet home, chicago

Flying is not my favorite thing, but the view over the Alps is amazing. Neither of us slept, but caught three movies on the ride. The Lego Movie was great. Everything is awesome. 

Chicago, or greater Chicagoland area, here we come.

a jura run

We are leaving for the US tomorrow. Time to start packing and getting organized, or go for one last ridge run in the Jura. We'll be running straight lines on flat paths for the next couple weeks, so we said farewell to the rocky trails, steep ascents, and cows for now. Next climb may be the Jungfrau Marathon! 

stop-over in zurich

We dragged ourselves to the train early this morning and arrived in Zurich for an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at Hiltl - perfect post-race recovery. We walked along the lake and relaxed in the sun as we returned to summertime. Zurich hosted a marathon this morning, and we felt a little left out not wearing medals like many others. Maybe we should have planned to run too, but eating a long meal and lying on the grass was enough activity for today. After a few hour's stop-over, we continued the journey home, dozing on the train.