The Mud Run

After a fun night out at an early Halloween party Friday night, waking up at seven on Saturday morning wasn't the easiest thing to do. We managed to do it, however, because we had a very compelling motivator: the mud run. 

The Mud Run, now in it's eighth year, is advertised as "Little Rock's Dirtiest 5k," due (mostly) to the fact that it ends with a giant mud pit. It sounds crazy, I know, but it actually is even crazier. 

                                                                                              Undisturbed mud

We got to the park where the race was being held around 8:00 Saturday morning. Though we were dressed in normal running attire, the majority of the people there where decked out in all kinds of Halloween costumes, which, impressive by itself, was made more so by the fact that everything they were wearing would end up being completely covered in mud. My favorites were a group of Crayola crayons, a family of penguins, and three kids dressed as rock, paper, and scissor. The announcer was dressed as Miss Piggy, and Brian the Barbarian (so named because he's won the race every year since its inception) was in his familiar Superman costume. He must know a really good dry cleaner. 

                                                                                             The before shot

Anyway, we took off from the starting line around 9:00, and most of the race was normal. Sure, we ran through fields, past people gardening, and alongside Oopa Loompas, Fairys, and several Brides, but other than that, it just seemed like your average 5k. 

Until, of course, we got to the mud. Less mud pit, more mud swimming pool, by the time we were heading into it, all out mud madness had begun. Within thirty seconds of entering, a person I'd never seen before was flinging mud at me, and my shoes were getting stuck in the stuff. Chris and I weren't afraid to go for it, though, and pretty soon we were just about swimming in mud. The hardest thing, of course, was actually trying to walk through and get to the other side, because our shoes were stuck in the mud. 

But, we managed to make it through eventually, and, thanks to the box of trash bags we brought with us, we made it home without completely ruining Chris's car. Hot showers ensued. 

The pictures are thanks to Stephanie, Chris's sister, who turned up with his mom to cheer us on and capture the madness!

                                                                             About to head into the mud!                                                                   

                                                                                         That splash is us.

                                                                  Not as easy as it looks.

                                                           But we're loving it!

                                                                      Muddy smiles.

                                                             Whew. We did it.      

                                                             Muddy madness all around.

A Short List

Not a lot going on here this week, but I have made a few rather important discoveries:

1) Working in an office that also houses a bridal magazine occasionally results in free swag leftover from photo shoots. I now have a beautiful bouquet on my desk at home, and Chris has a boutonniere should he ever need one.

2) Williams Sonoma makes all-natural, low calorie tonic water. Found this out on Wednesday when Chris and I, still without a washer and dryer (got delivered today!) went over to his mom's house to do laundry. The three of us and Stephanie ended up playing a rousing game of Life (so much easier than actual life), and drinking gin and tonics. Yum.

3) I am now at the point of my life where I have an office Christmas party on my calendar. Um, when did that happen?

4) Friday can never come soon enough.

As for this weekend, it's turning out to be rather busy. Chris and I are going to an early Halloween party tonight, then tomorrow we have a 5k in the morning (expect a later blog post to be about that). Then I am getting a haircut (I can practically hear my mom and Remy cheering from here) on Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night we're having a barbecue at our house for some family friends that are in town. Sunday will, as usual, be about football, and, hopefully, getting a pumpkin.

Embracing Arkansas

Chris and I workout every Saturday morning with Chris's dad at his gym. This weekend, that workout proved more crucial than ever. 

After coming home from said workout and showering, Chris and I headed out to the first ever World Championship Cheese Dip cook-off. Yes. Cheese dip.

Whatever you're imagining, I promise you, it goes beyond that. 

At its most basic level, cheese dip is made up of Velveeta and Rotel, and indeed, they were the sponsors of the event. But most of the vendors (a mix of professionals and amateurs, competing in separate categories), went way beyond that. 

We had the original cheese dip, created a restaurant in northern Arkansas. We had cheese dip with bacon and chives, cheese dip with crawfish and sausage. We had white cheese dip, and did cheese dip shots when one of the vendors we wanted to try ran out of chips (I am not proud of this. Nor do I regret it). We got cheese dip from one booth, and ate while we stood in line to get cheese dip from the next booth over. We stopped only for beer. 

Being from the east coast, I did not grow up in a cheese dip culture. It is, it seems, a southern thing, and, considering its origins, it is understandably huge in Little Rock. 

There were so many people there that by 2:30, most everyone had run out. The event started at 12. It was scheduled to last until 9. 

On Sunday the eating continued, at the holy land of fried food: the state fair. 

Chris and I had been planning to go for a while, with his mom, Margaret, and sister, Stephanie. We'd been doing our research, by which I mean we'd been reading food blogs and articles so that we didn't waste our time. 

We parked near the food court, and got to work. 

First, there was the traditional corn dog. Somehow, it was my first. So simple, so bad, and yet so so good.

Then, Chris got gator on a stick, which I liked, but it was a little too salty for me. Margaret got roasted corn, which we all ate bites of, in an attempt to feel better about ourselves because we could say we ate a vegetable. Since we followed with fried mozzarella sticks, though, I'm not sure it really made that much of a difference. 

After that, we took a break from food to do the other fair things. I was the only one of our foursome who actually likes big, scary rides, but I did get Chris to go on one that basically consisted of me crushing him, since he happened to be sitting on the left side of our car.

We also took time to see the animals, which is my favorite. Pigs, baby ducks, cows, goats, rabbits. Everything. We braved the smells and saw it all.

And were well rewarded. In our readings, Stephanie and Chris and I had come across what is known as a smooch: a deep fried Hershey's kiss. Now, I like Hershey's kisses more than your average person anyway. So to take one and deep fry it would, I imagined, create a treat so delicious and fattening that it could only be allowed to exist at a once-a-year event, like the state fair.

We had searched the food court for them, but with no success. None of us was willing to leave without them, but we weren't sure where else to look for them. Luckily, they found us outside of the animal house.

So, after sanitizing our hands, we ordered two plates of four, and found a picnic table in the shade to indulge. There are no words for how good they were. It was like eating a chocolate filled beignet, but instead of the sometimes-too-sweet chocolate filling that can come in a croissant, say, it was a Hershey's kiss. Just sweet enough, but definitely and deeply chocolate. We all very much enjoyed our two. 

And then we felt complete, and after one more ride and a look at the giant watermelons, we headed home.

The diet, as you might have guessed, began today.   

 Waiting in the beer line, on a break from cheese dip eating.

 I'm a convert. Cheese dip rocks.

 The native shows me how it's done.

 Cheese dip with salsa, pico de gallo, and a few fresh jalapenos. Yum.

 Loving a bunny at the state fair.

 Deep fried Hershey's kisses. What more is there to say?

The Agony

As a creative writing concentration, I took many workshop classes in college. I've had stories ripped apart by students and professors alike. One student wrote in his comments to me that he hated my characters, my setting, my plot, my dialogue, and the tone of my story. Which boils down to, he hated everything. And sure, I cried a couple times in the privacy of my room (and once in a professor's office). But, eventually, I toughened up.

Or so I thought.

Today, however, when I got back the draft of my first cover story for Arkansas Business, I couldn't stop the tears. Most of it was style issues, and I know that it's not personal, but it's hard to see your writing bleeding right in front of you. Luckily there are bathroom stalls for just this occasion, which I fled to in tears. They've been coming and going throughout the day, but by now I mostly have them under control.

And I think that, against all odds, my story "will make" as they say. I've made the changes and cleaned up the sentences and expanded on some points of interest. I've moved things around and cleared out the typos. I've calmed down.

But, it has been a trying day to say the least. So trying that I had to go home at lunch, watch most of last week's Glee, which I still have saved on DVR, and eat two of the brownies I baked last night as dessert for the delicious dinner Chris made (swordfish steaks, wild rice, and broccoli, yum). So trying that since coming back to work after lunch, I have done nothing but read washingtonpost.com articles and write this blog post. So trying that after work I will likely have to change into sweatpants, watch this week's Glee, and eat two more brownies.

Those interested can look for the article, which may or may not bear and resemblance to my original story, on ArkansasBusiness.com on Monday.