Spring is in the air...

And no, I'm not talking about the record-high pollen counts currently facing the greater DC area. It's just a beautiful time of year in DC. Actually one of my favorites. It's the time when the weather gets nice and the trees turn green but the humidity hasn't caught up yet. I think I say this every year.

In any case, it always provides lots of good excuses to neglect my finals and be outdoors!

Excuse #1: 4th annual Lupus Walk in downtown DC.

I've gotten to do this every year since inception with some of my friends, and it's exciting to see how much it grows every year.

David joined us this year. And you can't see stickers that say so, but we were walking for Crystal, my sister-in-law.

Excuse #2: Salt Flats

David and I just took a whirlwind trip to Salt Lake to take care of some business for an event taking place exactly 30 days hence. We were incredibly efficient, if I do say so myself. (Go team ACDC!) I even got to meet some of his aunts, uncles, and cousins, and we took a side trip to check out the Salt Flats...or supposedly that's what we would have seen, if not for the unusually high levels of precipitation that Utah has been seeing lately.

Still made for some beautiful pictures - including another that would make Dad proud.

Our flight was delayed on the way home, but we sat on the plane for so long that I was able to watch a spectacular sunset.

Excuse #3: 2nd annual RunAmuck!!

David and I participated in this race last year. It's a 5K that entails running up and down hills, climbing over/crawling under obstacles, wading through a lake, and lots and lots of mud. Last year this was actually one of our first "dates," and we had a blast...but we were disappointed by the degree of muddiness we had obtained by the end of the race.

This year, we vowed, there would be much more mud to show for our efforts. We even wore colors that would allow for better presentation of said muddiness.

I am happy to say that we succeeded, thanks in part to our very intentional efforts at dirtifying ourselves, and thanks in part to the grandiose efforts of the RunAmuck planners in upping the opportunities for everyone to crawl through the mud (including right at the finish line). Aside from just getting really dirty, both David and I earned ourselves some battle wounds from crawling through the mud and kicking underwater logs. Yeah, I know. We're so hard-core.

If you haven't had enough yet, here is more of the race and our muddy selves in all our glory. Please note wherever you can, the costumes in the background. People got seriously creative. Maybe we'll do that next year.