Whirlwind.

It's crazy to reference a whirlwind, especially with it being 'Tornado Week' on The Weather Channel and all. But much like the EF3 twister that rocked our good buddies in High Point last week, things keep right on spinnin'.

Our girls' weekend in Charleston was so much fun. Sarah, Aliza, and I had a great road trip down together, and it was really, really nice to catch up with everybody once we arrived. There were 10 girls in all who made the trip down to celebrate with Starnes for the weekend. And you know how it goes - these adventures are always short on sleep but long on fun!

I'm pretty sure I'd barely blinked when our alarm clocks went off the next morning, but with more than 40,000 people signed up for the Cooper River Bridge Run, we couldn't chance our arrival to the Start Line before the bridge closed. Two things to note about our morning together before the race started: #1 - Try as you may, you simply can't beat our Starnes Bachelorette Dri-Fit race shirts. And #2 - Charleston before sunrise in late March is chilly! I had a flashback to my nearly-eternal wait at the Start Line of the Disney Half...minus the snow and freezing rain, of course...

Our whole group managed to join together as we approached the Start, and before we knew it, we were off! This is definitely one of the most fun races I've run - not only because the course is so flat (minus the 4% incline for 1.1 straight miles on the bridge), but also because I was there in Charleston with some of my favorite people on the planet! We had a great time. And my baby sis killed it, running the whole 6.2 miles with no walking breaks. In her first race. Ever! What a stud.

A hearty lunch with the gang - followed closely by a little shopping and a big nap - was the perfect way to spend the afternoon. And then came the Bachelorette Shenanigans. Not too much scandal to report...but suffice it to say, amaretto sours and high-quality friendship can go a long, long way.

All too quickly, our weekend together came to an end. Aliza, Sarah, and I road-tripped back together, dropping Sarah off in Charlotte for her flight back to NYC. And after some heavy springtime storms, complete with a few random tornadoes, we were right back where we started in our everyday lives.

Thankfully, the work week was short. And I had the added bonus of a mid-week Argus concert right in my own guest room. Jay was in town on business, so he and Erich took the opportunity to dust off some old Argus tunes in preparation for their upcoming (epic) reunion in Athens, Georgia. I can hardly wait for that weekend!

As I've mentioned before, we're in the middle of a silly stretch of travel and adventure. We just came back earlier today from a really fun trip to Virginia to see my family for Easter. Erich and Dad hit the road for a pretty spectacular cycling trip from Courtland to Colonial Williamsburg. And Mom, Sarah, and I joined them on Duke of Gloucester Street, following our own shopping adventure, of course. It was a perfect spring day - and so great to be with my family. We spent all day Saturday with our extended family - grandparents and all! I really love to be back home. And then we road-tripped back to Winston just in time for an Easter brunch with Erich's mom and her fellow at Noma. Mmmm...

We have just enough time to catch our breath tomorrow before our journey to New York for the Tour of the Battenkill. I can hardly wait for that whole adventure! Stay tuned...