Herring Festival 5k

Two words to describe my March -- family and running.

March was an endless road trip visiting Charlotte and Nebo.  Our third stop was technically in April, visiting Jamesville.

Interspersed through March, I was trying to get back into running shape.  Last year, Jamesville's Herring Festival created a new event -- a 5k race.  Kara ran in it, and I promised her then that I would run in the 2015 one.  Kara and I even trash-talked each other some (between assuring each other just how OUT of shape we were!).  Which Davenport girl would prevail?

Well... me... by default.  Kara found out a few days before the race that she was pregnant (yay!!!!) and didn't think it was wise for her to run in the race.  I think she was just scared of her baby sister. :)  Kara, Mom, and Addison were great cheerleaders, though, driving to various spots along the route so they could cheer me on.  And Kelly (Kara's husband), and Toby (Kara's brother-in-law), and Garrett (Kara's nephew), and Macy (Kara's niece), and ... well, let's just say a lot of Kara's in-laws were running, too!

The 5K route -- they had to get creative since my town isn't 5k in size!

It was a big crowd -- 93 signed up, 81 actually ran.  There were a lot of high school track/cross country kids, so I wasn't exactly trying to win.  I was just trying to finish well in my age bracket (30-39).  Kelly's main goal was for me not to beat him!

Me and Kelly after the race.  Apparently I helped him pace out the first mile before he blew by me and never looked back.  Ok, he looked back a lot.  I really think he was worried I was going to pass him!  (I didn't)

My goal was to run it in 28 minutes.  My realistic goal (since I hadn't been able to accomplish the 28-mark in any of my practice runs) was to run in under 30 minutes.  Well, at 29:55, I just barely made it!  Not a great time, but it was a tough (aka, poorly-planned-out) course that I had never run before.  Kelly came in about 30 seconds before me. 

I knew the top-finishing woman (25:38, holy cow!) was in my age-bracket, so I was hoping for 2nd place.  When they announced the medal winners, I was shocked to hear them announce me for 1st place!  Apparently they omit the top medal winners from the age-bracket competition.

The 30-39 winners -- Emma Shipley, me, and Helen Lytle

All in all, it was a pretty great day.  I will definitely run the race again, because I know I can do better.  The fact that I was unknowingly one month pregnant at the time probably made a difference!  But that's a story for another time...

Thanksgiving

I'm back!  Well, for a bit at least.  Hopefully I'll find time to continue blogging.  Little Man is growing up so fast that I'm usually scrambling to catch up.  I often forget to take pictures or blog about it because I'm having such a fun time living it!

Anyway, here's a quick(ish... you know me, I'm long-winded) rundown of Thanksgiving.

We spent Thanksgiving in Jamesville.  Lots of family, lots of food.  My sisters and I decided to give Mom and Dad updated photos of us for their hallway.  Jason was gracious enough to brave the unseasonably cold afternoon and gusty wind that kept knocking over, and eventually breaking, his light stands in order to make the photos happen.  Tyler and I walked around a bit, then ended up camping out in the car while Jason set up.

We ended up outside my old elementary school cafeteria because it was shady with an even backdrop.  I love the result!

Mom couldn't wait til Christmas to give the grandkids some gifts, including special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer plates and cups.

Tyler and Addison had a blast!  Tyler loved playing with all the new toys and watching how big kids play (which did cause a minor fall-off-the-Little-Tikes-slide incident).  Addison had a great time showing Tyler around and playing with toys that she had forgotten about.

I think they may like each other:

Jamesville Shower

Last weekend, Lilhimself and I traveled east for our Jamesville baby shower.  Thanks to my aunt Tammy for taking pictures of the event for me.

Decorations and Food:
They went with a rubber duck theme.  I've talked for years about having a duck-themed bathroom, so I'm guessing this is what inspired Mom to suggest it.

The centerpieces

The food was AWESOME!  I couldn't stop going back for seconds (and thirds...).  I can't remember it all, but there were cheese puffs, fudge, salted pecans, haystacks, veggies and chips and their respective dips, meatballs, cocktail wienies, pimento cheese sandwiches, etc.  In other words, all things yummy!

Is this not the cutest cake ever?  A lady in Jamesville (Vicky McCombs) makes cakes as a hobby, and she does a fantastic job!  It was so pretty, no one wanted to cut into it.  Bonus: that meant that cake came home with us!

Opening Gifts:

The Guests:

Since I don't actually live in Jamesville anymore, we kept the guest list really small, mostly just church ladies, neighbors, and a few high school friends.  Nothing compared to Kara's baby shower where 3/4 of the town showed up!  

High school friends Micah and Jessica and their little girls

Family photo: Aunt Tammy, Mama, me, Aunt Carol, Addison, and Kara

Herring Festival

Easter weekends growing up in Jamesville meant a few things -- new floral dresses that were always too summery for chilly Sunday mornings, sticking flowers in my church's cross, and going to the Herring Festival.

What is a herring?
First of all, for about 10 years of my life, I thought it was spelled "heren," because that's how we pronounce it in J-ville.  A herring is a small, narrow fish that is found all over the Atlantic Ocean.  Jamesville, which runs along the Roanoke River, is in love with and rather proud of our herring.  In fact, our school yearbook was called "The Herringbone."  While people in Scandinavia are known for pickling their herring, all Southerners know the best thing you can do with a fish is deep fry it.

 Before frying them, deep slits are cut along the length of the fish to ensure even cooking.

The end product -- cooked until it's crispy.  Some people eat the bones and all (just with herring, not all our fried fish), but I just eat the flesh and leave the skeleton behind.  I do differ from most of my fellow Jamesvillians in that I do not sprinkle the fish with pepper vinegar (vinegar that has been infused with hot peppers for up to several years) before eating it.  Just call me a purist.

What is the Herring Festival?
The Herring Festival started in 1949 to celebrate the spring spawning of the herring.  This time of year brought a lot of prosperity to the town as fishermen came to fish the river waters and diners came to eat at our seasonal restaurants, the Cypress Grill and the River's Edge (open only a few months a year while the fish are plentiful).  The festival included fireworks on Easter night, a baseball tournament, and the main festivities on Easter Monday (the day after Easter).

What memories do I have of the Herring Festival?
Growing up in Jamesville, it was THE DAY for our town.  There would be all kinds of yummy food, fun games to play (and prizes to win), and vendors selling all kinds of crap that appealed to young kids.    There was always good music, from blue grass to beach music to gospel, that always gathered a crowd.

When I was 9 or 10, I spent $20 playing this one game over and over, and showed back up at my house with six giant inflatable objects (inflatable bear, guitar, baseball bat, crayon, and two others I can't remember).  All through elementary and middle school, the first thing you had to do was arm yourself with silly string and poppers (the kind you throw on the ground to make popping noises), so that you were prepared if you ran into a school classmate.

When I went to college, one of my biggest disappointments was that I had classes on Easter Monday, so I couldn't attend the festival.  Well, a few years ago, for the 60th anniversary of the festival, they switched things around.  The festival is now on the weekend before Easter, which means I can attend it again (much to Jason's joy, I can assure you *insert sarcasm here*).

What is the Herring Festival like now?
A lot has changed with the festival.  Other than the days, the festival is now on Main Street instead of River Road (two whole blocks over, people, drastic difference).  There's no baseball tournament anymore, but there is a parade.  Oh, the parade.  Do you have an old car?  You can be in the parade!  Do you have a four-wheeler (ATV)?  You can be in the parade!  Do you have a Mustang or Corvette (not vintage, just any year)?  You can be in the parade!  Honestly, not my town's finest moments.

Images from previous years:

Got motorcycles?  You can be in the parade!

Got a weird car?  You can be in the parade!

Yep, that's the Easter Bunny riding in an ambulance.

*facepalm*  Really, this is how we want to represent our town???

The festival also includes an Easter egg hunt at my aunt Tammy's house.  It's huge!  I didn't even know that many kids were in the town!

Images from previous years:

Hiding the eggs

 Stay tuned for descriptions of this year's festivities.

Jamesville Weekend

Going to try and keep this short, since I'm crazy-behind at work, and this is my planning period.  A little over a week ago, I headed east for a solo trip to Jamesville.  I was there for a baby shower, so Jason could not be persuaded to come along.  What did this trip entail?  I had two requests -- to see Addison and to eat fish.

My town is located on the Roanoke River, and we have two seasonal seafood restaurants.  I ordered a small rock plate (rock is a type of striped bass) with stewed potatoes, hush puppies, and slaw.  Cost?  $6.95.  Insanely good deal!  Daddy also ordered a side of herring, so I got one of those.  Jamesville is kind of known for our herring.  That's why we have the Herring Festival each Easter weekend.  However, if you order it, you have to put the Southern twang on it and say it like the bird: "heron."  Pronounce the "g" and they'll know you're from out of town.

Mom doesn't usually keep Addison on Saturdays, but they made special plans so I could see her.  That girl is a handful, but an adorable handful!  I'll have a longer Addi-only post later, but here's a sneak peak:

Like I said, I was in Jamesville for a shower.  My high school friend Kyle and his wife Amy were having a shower at Kyle's home church.  They're both Wake County-ers now, and I get to see them every week at church.  I had asked Amy if I could paint letters for their baby girl, Grace Ann.  She excitedly agreed!

Her colors are lavender and white, and I just came up with the patterns.  I think Grace Ann will approve! :)

The Church's One Foundation...

Jamesville covers an area only 1.3 square miles, so when something happens in the town, it affects the whole town.  This was no different yesterday, when news of the Christian Church burning down began showing up on Facebook.  This wasn't my home church, but growing up in the town, that doesn't mean I don't have memories of the church.

~Each Easter, they would put up a large wooden cross in front of the church.  On Good Friday, a black piece of cloth would hang on the cross.  Some time before church on Easter Sunday, the cloth would be replaced with a white cloth.  This was always such a beautiful representation of the resurrection story that I always looked forward to driving by the church to see it.

~The summer I helped take care of my granddad, who lived across the street from the church, I used to spy out the front windows at my crush, who mowed the Christian Church's lawn.

~Most summer mornings were spent picking vegetables in my granddad's garden.  When the noon bells chimed at the Christian Church, we knew it was time to quit, eat lunch, and head to the pool.  Bung bong bong bong bong.  Bung bong bong bong bong!  BWONGGGGG!  BWONGGGGG!  BWONGGGG!

~The church was walking distance from my high school (then again, what in town isn't walking distance?), and it was our safe haven during bomb threats.  We only ever had one threat when I was in high school, but there was a calm assurance standing in that church parking lot.  We all felt safe.

~My church was tiny compared to the Christian Church, so it was always nice to drive by afterwards and see all the people I knew.  They usually recognized our car and waved.  That's the true nature of my town, and the true nature of that church.  I've heard in countless sermons before, the church is not a building, it's a group of people.  In that case, the Christian Church lives on.

That's how I'll remember the church, not like this:

My prayers go out to my community and to all the members.  To see more about the fire, you can watch the news story here.