MLK weekend

We had the best weekend.

I worked Thursday night, so around 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon, Jason came into our room and jumped on the bed, telling me I needed to wake up because it was SOOOO warm and nice outside. 

So I dragged my tired body out of bed, donned my biking clothes, strapped the bikes to the back of the car, and we headed to Shawnee Mission Park. 

I was so excited. And happy. 1) that it was the weekend and I wouldn't be working again until Wednesday night (woo!) 2) that it was sunny outside and warm--57 degrees, people. In Kansas, in January (double woo!) and 3) because I was about to spend an afternoon romping around Shawnee Mission Park on my bike with my favorite human on the planet: Jason Brase (triple woo!). 

The trails were muddy, so we rode on some gravel roads that led us to some paved paths. It was nice to still have a little element of mountain biking with the gravel under our tires. The paved paths had some great hills (my favorite). We took pit stops and walked down to the lake, which was still mostly frozen over. People were walking out to the middle of the lake. I thought they were crazy. 

Then we came home, made some sandwiches, and finished season 2 of Once Upon a Time. 

I laid in bed that night, cuddled up to Jason's shoulder, and told him that that was the best day ever. I meant it. I love any time I get to spend with Jason. We are best friends. We have so much fun together. He makes me laugh. He makes me happy. There is no one else on the planet I would rather have by my side than him. I feel so grateful to have a love like this. 

I never, ever thought that I deserved love like this. Or that it was possible. Or that I would find/experience it. I feel like the luckiest girl. 

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To celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we decided to load up the bikes again and head to Shawnee Mission Park for round II. The weather was still beautiful, so we couldn't pass up this opportunity. We started riding on the trails, but we didn't get far before our tires were completely caked with mud (and my new kicks. woof), so we turned around and walked our bikes back until the dirt was dry enough to ride. 

We hopped back on the paved trails and rode over to the area we had been on Friday, but this time we tried out some different routes. We found a path that climbed pretty high, and we had an amazing view of the park below us. As we got higher, there were even evergreen trees! It almost felt like we were in Colorado or Oregon! (Almost haha). 

I love riding my bike up the steep slopes. I'm not very advanced in the technical stuff (like rocky terrain and lots of tree roots). I prefer a smoother path with more elevation gain. It makes me feel so strong and accomplished. There aren't many things that I love more than using my body to do hard things in nature. I am so grateful that I have a body that allows me to do the things I love. I'm thankful Jason and I can make memories biking together, enjoying the beautiful weather and the Earth God created for us to enjoy. 

We soaked up the rest of our ride and talked about taking a fun trip/making some fun memories in the next couple of months. I really hope it happens :)