We had just gotten out of the car in front of Cherry Creek Lake* when a couple nearby asked us that seemingly harmless little question.

Kevin and I both immediately responded,”No.”

“That’s what I thought. We were betting money on it.”

Kevin and I just stood there looking mildly perplexed.

“Well, I saw you taking pictures. So I knew you were TOURISTS!”

Ohhhh. I don’t even notice myself taking pictures with my iPhone anymore. It’s like a reflex.

I wanted to say,”OH I’M A BLOGGER.” But what came out was something lame about being from Minnesota. I guess we aren’t ready to claim Colorado yet. We both confessed later that we were afraid they were going to ask us for directions! Basically being called a tourist is one of my biggest phobias (more Ramundo stories!!) so it broke my little heart.

Lakes make us feel right at home. We ARE from The Land of 10,000 Lakes!

The best part about our run today was that I was using iMapMyRun, but Kevin didn’t have his Nike+ or anything to track our mileage. SO Corrie Anne was the record keeper. And if you’ve EVER run with me, you know what that means. That means Corrie Anne trix you into running more miles!!!! It was wonderful!

Signs about preserving nature make me feel uncomfortable!!!  But we blazed on.

AHHH!! BAMBI!! There were several other deer romping around in the field to the right. I got really nervous and made Kevin run on the “deer side.” There was a buck with big antlers! Okay. I couldn’t really see him that well. I wasn’t wearing glasses, but I trust Kevin’s reporting!

It was fun running on several different types of terrain: concrete, dirt, gravel, and some other unidentified materials. This part of the trail was gorgeous, but I was disappointed that it was not really following the lake. Perhaps the other direction does? I’ll find out next time.

My favorite model didn’t mind taking a break to pose on this rather sketchy bridge. We ran over it the first time, and I felt it would be best if we crossed it separately the second time around!

I think I was a BIT too cheerful for my running buddy’s taste at this point of our run. I forced him to commit to running farther than a 5k because that tends to be his limit on weekdays.

SICK! I totally caught a mosquito going for the freckles, and the blood got wiped on my shirt. If you look closely, there’s actually a live one on my shoulder while I’m snapping this picture.

We ended up covering 4.51 miles in 39:01 – that’s an 8:39 pace. No amount of coaxing was going to get Kevin under the 8:30 mark. He just wasn’t feeling it. And just in case you’re keeping score, which of course I am (Monica!!!!!!), I also ran 4.55 in the gym this morning bringing my daily mileage to over 9 miles.

I think I finally admitted to myself tonight that I don’t really like salads! As colorful as it was, I just was not enjoying it. I felt like I was just doing my time. I actually gagged on one piece of lettuce that I found particularly unsavory. The Organic Girl mix was pretty, but I guess I don’t like the fancy lettuces that taste like DIRT.

We tried out this Tomato Basil Dressing which I actually really liked. No sugar and no oil! I think salad dressing is such a WASTE when it has loads of calories and fat. Hello, I’d rather eat Cheetos than salad drenched in anything!!

After I finally choked down my salad, I STILL had to eat broccoli before I got to the goods! I actually like broccoli though especially if there’s some sauce to dip it in. We also enjoyed some Annie’s Shells & White Cheddar.

I was a little cranky this afternoon so I didn’t feel like blogging until now. I got a call about a really sweet job opportunity, but it’s just not going to work out for me due to the location. I was really disappointed about that and it sort of spiraled into being bummed about not working or really being involved in anything right now except spoiling my husband (which I love). I know this is super short-term so I should enjoy the luxury of not having to work, but I’m just so used to my days of teaching full-time, tutoring, and then coming home and doing my own homework. Is it possible to be stressed about not being stressed? Haha. It’s all good. The 9 miles helped!

Do you eat your favorite on the plate first or save it for last? Does working out cheer you up?

P.S. For Joanie: I haven’t written anything in it yet, but I keep it on my nightstand!

It’s my pink, sparkly Corrie/Colorado journal. What should I write in it? Any ideas? I guess it could be “cooking” too.

*Why is it both Creek AND Lake? I feel that one would be sufficient! Or better yet. Cherry Crik!