It may be almost June and more than 90 degrees outside in Atlanta right now, but we’re still reliving snow over here in the White household (and it seemed an appropriate break from the heat).
So while it may be months before we see powder again, enjoy this video P put together from our winter trip to Whitefish, Montana earlier this year. He kind of killed it and it deserves its own post.
Sure, it’s long, but can you blame those views?! I even make a few seldom appearances. Being in the back of the pack has its perks, less time on camera and more time to soak up the sunshine. Because it certainly wasn’t due to my lack of skills to keep up with these crazy kids. 😉
Maybe it started with the Spice Girls, it definitely at least feels like it started with the Spice Girls. Nearly eighteen years ago this summer, Wannabee hit the US airwaves and girl power as we know it (or at least as nine-year-old me knew it) changed forever.
Fast forward to 2015 and we’ve encountered a whole new era of girl power. An era where two women have announced their intent to run for president, where George Clooney’s wife isn’t best known for her looks and where I can lift a bike over my head and get it on the bike rack without a boys help.
I realize one of those doesn’t fit with the others, but for this 5’2″ girl, an accomplishment it most certainly is, even if I’ll have bruises to show for weeks as a result of the multiple attempts it took…
#girlpower
Beyond politics and Hollywood, the tide of women in sports is also in a period of change, and I couldn’t be more proud to watch it unfold. From Arc’teryx #DefineFEMININE, to Ram Trucks “The Courage is Already Inside” and Nike Women’s #betterforit (which I had the upmost privilege of working on earlier this year), brands are setting a new standard for what it means to be a women in sport.
But inspiration doesn’t always come from personal bests or even the chills of YouTube. This weekend, I had the pleasure of joining Red Bull for the Wings for Life World Run, a road race held across the globe simultaneously in 35 countries where 100% of the proceeds benefit the Wings for Life foundation in search of a cure to spinal cord injuries.
The premise of the race itself is quite different than your typical race format. Runners start at the same time, but continue until they are caught by a catcher car that takes off thirty minutes after the runners begin. There is quite literally no finish line.
I myself have been a participant in countless races, but as I’ve rarely spent time on the sidelines, it was fascinating to listen stories from the finishers area and watch as hundreds of people crowded around to cheer on the final runners. The leading female runner in Sunrise, Florida was caught just past 32 miles. Thirty-two-freaking-miles, but even watching that unfold wasn’t the best part.
Volunteering at the event with the Red Bull team, I listened to countless stories of men and women sharing race records unheard of … to themselves. From I’ve never run further than a 5K in my entire life and I ran seven miles today, to my goal was six and I hung in there for twelve, it was quite incredible to see what someone is capable of without their even knowing it.
So get out there. Go for it. Try something new. And if you wind up with a a few bumps a bruises, (even if they are from trying to lift something twice your size over your head) hey, that’s an accomplishment too.
This month I’ll celebrate five years since graduating college, I was reminded of that distant past as my baby sister crams for finals and texts asking if we have ramen noodles she can “borrow.” While finals week may be a thing of the past, I’m glad the trusty procrastination events my college roommate and I put together years ago are still going strong: strawberry picking and Twilight weekend.
Athens Twilight weekend has long been one of my favorite weekend of the year in the Classic City. While there’s no experience quite like a game day Saturday in Athens, Twilight brings an entirely different crowd, vibe and call for celebration to the city that can’t be missed.
Alongside the bike race, we’ve made it somewhat of a spring tradition to make our way out to Washington Farms for rows and rows of fresh strawberries. Strawberry season is in full swing here in Georgia and I’m 100% on board for Spring’s cheesy cousin to fall apple picking.
Thanks to Pick Your Own, you can consult this handy dandy calendar to determine harvest dates in your state for any number of fruits and vegetables. We’ve frozen the majority of our berries (smoothies for days), but I did manage to bake a little Strawberry Cobbler and may even try my hand at a jam thanks to this book, a gift from friends a few years ago.
As for the bike race, those guys never cease to amaze me. With a shorter course this year due to construction, we saw a bit more lapping from the riders, making the outcome that much more exciting. Thankfully the rain held off meaning fewer disastrous crashes, which was fine by me.
In the spirit of inspiration, Patrick and I took off on Sunday for my second ride out on my very own mountain bike. If you sped the GoPro footage up about 10X, maybe I’d look like I was going the speed of the Twilight road racers. I have quite a bit more to learn on that end, but hopefully I’ll be back soon with more to share than really muddy tires.
In the spirit of inspiration, Patrick and I took off on Sunday for my second ride out on my very own mountain bike. If you sped the GoPro footage up about 10X, maybe I’d look like I was going the speed of the Twilight road racers. I have quite a bit more to learn on that end, but hopefully I’ll be back soon with more to share than really muddy tires.