Homecoming weekend and other happenings

I am going to try to make this quick because I want to go to bed!

First, many of you probably already know this, but my grandma, Nanny, had a heart attack last week. It was a very scary time for me, as there are VERY few people in this world that I love as much as my Nanny. It was quite an emotional hit when I heard about her heart attack, and luckily she is doing very well right now. She's back at home and they found out that she has a heart arrhythmia, which caused the heart attack. I'm so thankful that she is okay, and I think Karl and I are going to go back down for a visit with her the first weekend in November. She isn't allowed to drive for a month, and I am hoping it will give her a chance to rest for once and let other people take care of her. Knowing her, though, she is going to be very antsy to get out and do things for herself when the month is up! ;) Thanks to everyone who sent messages via email and/or Facebook and said they were praying for Nanny - it means a lot!!!

Nanny and me at my Ph.D. graduation in May '08.

Okay, now on to this past weekend. I FINALLY won first place overall female in one of my races! Hooray!!! I ran the McCormick Creek State Park "Run to the Creek" 5K this past Saturday, and much to my delight I was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 22:09. I had to battle it out with a high school girl for much of the race, but luckily for me almost the entire last mile was uphill and this girl apparently couldn't run hills very well. I ended up beating her by about 10 seconds. Karl ran too and got 2nd place in his age group! Four more race weekends in the Mag 7 series for us, and then it's "off season" until March. McCormick's Creek State Park is very beautiful, by the way. Below are a few pictures we took after the race:

Karl walking on a path in the park.

Waterfall at McCormick's Creek State Park.

Me at the park.

Secondly, this past weekend was IU's homecoming against Illinois. We had friends in town and had a wonderful time, despite the chilly weather. Since it was a night game we tailgated most of the day, followed by some dinner at Nick's in the evening. Here are a few photos:

Karl and me before the IU-Illinois game.

All of the KDs at our tailgate: Lisa, Molly, Rachael, Kasey, Dana, and me.

Finally, fall, my very favorite season, is HERE in full force! The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and cool, and "fall smells" such as pumpkin, apple, and spices are rampant wherever you go. I love it! Here are some photos I took on IU's campus this past Sunday when Karl and I took a walk:

Sample Gates

Feisty little squirrel!

Third Street, just outside of Rawles Hall.

Fallen leaves.

That's all for now! More updates to come later!