shelby, nc

just a quick note to say north carolina has been so fun...yesterday melanie, katie and i spent the morning outside reading on the dock, swimming in the lake, and chatting like old times. came inside to eat some lunch and watch juno (i've now seen it three times, and i still really enjoy it!) and then we all kinda fell asleep/lounged until katie's grandpa came over for dinner. before dinner he taught us how to play bridge, which was really fun!!! i hope to keep playing, maybe some of my chicago friends will want to play, or michael and my grandparents once i get back to michigan. anyway, after bridge we had a nice 4th of july dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers, and canteloupe and baked beans--yum!!! oh, plus huge hunks of chocolate cake and ice cream mmm mmm!!! after dinner we sat around on the deck and tried to catch glimpses of people's fireworks through the trees. we were planning on having a dance party as well but we needed to update itunes and by the time everything was ready we had sat down and lost our momentum. so we just chatted and mel and katie gave each other back rubs :) this morning i woke up pretty early and ran NINE MILES. i can't remember the last time i ran that far!! i think i averaged about 10 min/mile because i was at a little over 9 minutes after 7 miles, and then i ran a bit slower outside with mel, katie, and dr. kelly. but yay!!! making progress and sticking to the schedule, which feels really good. we have a pretty active day planned for today, including biking, kayaking, and more swimming, and i'm sure more lounging around and chatting hahaha. but right now my next step is getting a shower, wooo!