Hotlanta Part 2 a.k.a. Bringin' the Heat

So apparently when I went to enjoy the cool 67 degree weather in DC, I brought the sweltering 98 degree Atlanta weather with me. Ah well, what can you do? We had fun anyway, but as you can see from the picture (especially the Tyler part of the picture), we sweated like mofo's.

Our nation's capitol is lovely, however hot it may be, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Lots of museums - The Spy Museum, The Holocaust Museum and The National Archives. I highly recommend all of them, each for entirely different reasons. But all are well worth the visit. And a visit to the WWII memorial which produced the lovely picture below, was beautiful and captivating at night.


And I would just like to say, MARTA, PLEASE take a lesson from DC's Metro system. Or really from any other mass transit system in any other metropolitan city. It actually goes places people want to go and is easy and convenient to use. No cabs necessary. Metro goes everywhere you want to be. Kind of like Visa.

We also visited Alexandria, which is where the pic of Tyler and I was taken on the dock on the Potomac River. Super cool town and apparently super expensive as well. But it reminded me of my hometown, Franklin - well, downtown Franklin - on crack.

And if you're going and haven't been - I highly recommend the restaurant Lebanese Taverna. Holy cow, that place is good. Delicious hummus and pita. My main dish was awesome as well. I wished my stomach was about 8 times bigger than it was that night for dinner.

So yeah, big fan of D.C.! I hadn't been since 8th grade and then it was in a blizzard, so it was definitely time for me to go back. Apparently I only enjoy going in extreme weather conditions.

Hotlanta

I just read an article and discovered that I have lived through the hottest month EVER in Atlanta. This August beat out July 1993 as the hottest month on record and gives new meaning to the nickname "Hotlanta".

I'm pretty sure that the record 8 100 degree plus days all occurred when my car's air conditioner broke and my husband and I were forced to drive it around as we waited for parts to come in. If you're looking for a good way to lose weight, I highly recommend driving around with your air conditioner turned off and just sweating it off. It got so bad that I briefly considered this. Maybe I would've gotten a few stares, but I would have saved a LOT of money.

It's hot here folks and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to my weekend in D.C., where it is currently 67 degrees and cloudy. Oh yeah, and some rain would be nice too.

Walk...Don't Run

Not that any of you, dear readers, necessarily need tips for walking, but in my extensive travels around Cobb County, GA and around the track at CNN Center, here is what I have learned:

1.) You will get blisters, no matter what. But double layer socks help tremendously. I heart them.
2.) Say what you will about the fanny pack, but it is invaluable on walks for many reasons. Not the least of which are the holsters on the side for my 20 oz bottle of water and my 20 oz bottle of gatorade. That's right, I have holsters. I'm a walking cowboy. AND, there is a zipper pouch for my granola bars and my cell phone, should I get abducted. I still look like a total dork, but I'm a total dork with food, water and a wireless phone.
3.) The iPod shuffle is totally awesome. It's tiny and clips on to my shirt and holds an entire audiobook. Which brings me to my next point...
4.) Audiobooks rock. They make the time pass so much more quickly than when I'm just listening to music. So far I've listened to: The First Assistant, Shopaholic and Baby, and now I'm listening to The Jane Austen Book Club. Score!
5.) When it is 100 degrees outside, it is definitely worth it to walk 140 laps around the indoor, 1/10th of a mile track at the gym. You may get dizzy and nauseous, but you will not be hot my friends.
6.) Long distance walking is a lot harder than I thought it would be. You think you're just going out for a stroll and 3 1/2 hours later, the 14 miles you just walked have totally kicked your butt.
7.) It's a lot harder than I thought, but it's a lot easier to do it when you have a cause to walk for and a friend to walk with.
8.) X-Factor Gatorade is delicious!
9.) Stretching really is important.
10.) Even though I can walk 14 miles, I still feel like I'm going to hurl after trying to run even half of one. Go figure.

I'm sure I will learn a lot more as my training continues and will write more as I learn. Be sure to stay tuned for more on my exciting Breast Cancer 3 Day journey! Only 2 more months to go.