Ugh. Where shall I start? How about we bookend? I think I am experiencing a mild bout of food poisoning. I went home from about 8:30 until noon and now I am back because I have things todo. But I won’t feel alright until I have blogged.

On Friday we woke up around 8:30 so we could make it to Tom Brown park by 10. I followed the guys out to where the walking trail picks up. It was relatively easy – maybe a bit uphill at times and only one bad patch of roots. I finished (it dumps you out near the high school) rather quickly so I rode it back, taking a few different turns. I chose a wider path at one point and it led me to the Lafayette park trails – one was hard, one was “easier”. I took the easier one and it was pretty good. Mostly uphill, snaking back and forth like the lines at a Disney ride, all the way up a hill. It stops momentarily at a plateau where you can pick up the Cadillac trail, which is where Ash was riding. I heard voices and sure enough, one of the newer guys out there and Wayne were coming back. Jeremy hadn’t been biking in a while and was a bit worn, so the three of us flew back down the easier path and Wayne took us out to the paved path that circles the park. After Jeremy headed back to the cars, Wayne took me up a steep trail that cuts through a field, then drops back down said field and you pretty much fly down it. I have to admit, that was more rugged biking than I intended to do but I had a great time. We all went to El Chico afterwards and loaded up. Meal two of what would be a lot of food that my stomach rejected.

That night, Ash and I rented “Over the Hedge” and ate Hungry Howies. I woke up the following morning with a very irritated digestive system. But nevertheless, I got in my car at about 8 and headed Northwest towards Dothan, Alabama. It’s only an hour and a half drive but it was very foggy. At one point, I reached the crest of a hill on the highway and a field off to my left of not yet harvested cotton was blanketed by the thick fog and I swear it looked like it was snowing. I quickly reached for my camera then realized: I had forgotten the memory card. I was very upset by this but I realized that sometimes the moment can mean more if you just remember it, not try to capture it digitally.

The day was long and – well, I wouldn’t say – stressful. My dad was in my grandfather’s hospital room when I got there but Papa was asleep so we ran erands. The rest of the day we just sort of hung out in there, watching the Auburn game and talking to family guests who came and went.  My father and I needed breakfast and since this is a small town, we ended up at Shoney’s. Why I ate what I did at the breakfast buffet is beyond me. Then at about 3 my time, we ate Honey Baked Ham sandwiches, which were good but I was full. I got back into Tallahassee around 5:30 and Ash wanted dinner. As to not waste, I ate my share of mac and cheese.

We awoke early again – and again my stomach was in knots – to head out to Jacksonville to attend the Jaguar’s game. The event was, on the whole, very fun. Unfirtunately, the Jags lost – to Houston of all teams! – but we still had a good time. I ate a hot dog and immediately had some pretty bad heartburn. After we left and finally got back on 1-10 (95 DOES NOT have signs that say 295 to 10, which would have been helpful so we didn’t go 28 miles out of our way) I started feeling a lot sicker. I was having chills when we got home and eventually, my stomach had had enough of the garbage I’d been feeding it. Uggghhh.

So here we are. It’s 12:30, I’ve eaten crackers and drank a Gatorade to rehydrate. I am working to catch up on some stuff and trying to feel better. I am just glad the weekend is over because it just drained me.