Chomp & Romp & Stomp

Our day dawned early and bright with Cutie Face once again waking up around 6:20 AM. Gone are the days of sleeping in until past 7. Bummer. At least we don't need an alarm!

After her breakfast, we all got ready for our 5k Road Race. J went to break down our jogging stroller and put it in our car and I carried on getting Cutie Face dressed. We were interrupted when J came running back into the apartment to let us know that our car had been stolen (!!!!).

We saw the skid marks and the scrape marks from where someone had towed it off.

J immediately called 911 and reported the theft but they said it was most likely towed...for reasons we have yet to grasp...but, regardless, we determined that YES, the car was towed but, thankfully, not stolen!

That left us with a dilemma--should we try to make it to the race with 18 minutes to spare? Sure, why not, we asked? We ran over to the D family house and they very graciously let us borrow their SUV. Thankfully they have carseats in the car (a very cool Britax Camo design that she didn't mind riding in!) so we plopped Cutie Face in the seat and away we went!

We made it to the race with 5 minutes to spare but, thankfully, they were a little delayed with the start...

You can kind of see J if you look closely--he is the very last person standing on the right with the purple baby jogger. Do you see him? Regardless, make sure you notice the two cops up front:

J decided that, in order to maximize our award potential, he would compete in the stroller division so that i could race solo. Clearly, you can see that I borrowed these photos from MachShots.com but they did say that i could download them! Thank you!

Here I am, around the 2.4 mile marker:

and here is my buff husband, pushing the stroller with ease:

Doesn't he look like a pro? I love that you can see Cutie Face peeking out behind her blanket:

Shortly after both of those pictures were taken, the race was over--the funny part about this race was that I came in at 15:30 ...which is ridiculously fast for a 5k let alone for a 6-month PREGNANT WOMAN to run.

I knew something wasn't right...turns out those two cops we mentioned before MISSED A TURN. Yeah...so we all ran a 4k race instead of a 5k. Can I still claim that time as a PR?

Regardless of the shortened course, J's race strategy paid off--I was the overall woman in the race and he was the overall stroller runner so we both received plaques and gift certificates! Not a bad deal as we definitely got a larger return for our money!

While we waited for the awards ceremony, we played all over the Cabbagetown playground:

Upon returning home, my very kind and generous and sacrificial dad took J to pick up our towed car. They had to make a few stops because that's bureaucracy for ya so we are very thankful to Dad for his patience and willingness to help us!

The race we ran kicked off the annual Chomp and Stomp Chili Fest. For $5 you get a lovely orange spoon:

and all the chili you can eat. Last year, we came late because we had no idea what to expect. This year, our orange spoons were part of the race package so we didn't have to wait in line to buy them. We did, however, cut the start time incredibly close.

J, coming from the towlot, decided it would be faster if I met him at the festival and I was happy to oblige...this plan just meant I had to run back to the location as quickly as possible so we could coincide our arrivals. This also meant that I would be running 2+ miles to Cabbagetown with my hair dried, straightened, while wearing my "street clothes" (jeans and a nice top).

It all worked out and we arrived almost at the same time so it was perfect. I found out on Sunday that one of our church friends saw me booking it in my jeans and nice top while pushing Cutie Face in the jogger so that was a little embarrassing but i got over it. Besides, i also got to add mileage to the day's run so that was a bonus!

The way the chili fest works is that restaurant and individuals enter their chili recipe(s). Everyone makes a large batch (some make more than others) and dish out sample servings to anyone with an orange spoon. You can make the rounds or go back for more of your favorite but you have to be fast because when the chili is gone, the participant flips over their chili pot and leaves it upside down on the table--no more soup for you!

I laughed at this chili table--they gave you antacid tablets!

Look at all that chili!

Ria's was my favorite vegan chili

until i ventured over to the Vortex and sampled their vegan chili...THE BEST!

6-Feet Under still gets mad props for having fun AND for having ALLIGATOR chili AND for having fun and goofing off!

The beer trucks were also hot commodities

and the live music was GREAT!

Despite all those great festival features, Cutie Face LOVED the dog adoption/rescue pups the best! We spent loads of time with all the dogs and it was like a little slice of heaven for her.

As J remarked on our way home, the Chomp and Stomp is his favorite Atlanta festival. It was a great day (despite the car...!) and we were able to end it with J's dad, who read Cutie Face her bedtime story:

We can't wait until next year!