A great day!

Today was absolutely beautiful! Highs in the mid-70s and not a cloud in the sky! Luckily, our school let out at 11:45 today, so I got to enjoy the afternoon outside! The school where I teach has a large fund raiser every year and tonight is the night, so we had to vacate the building so the parents could decorate. We were all so dissappointed - NOT!!!
I decided to go to Shelby Farms, which is a local park located about 5 miles from my school. I walked/jogged on the 3 mile trail there. It was fantastic. Not too many people around, lots of birds, turtles, squirrels and even buffalo - yes, buffalo. There is a herd that grazes there. There were a few people playing frisbee golf, a couple people passed me on bikes, and I even saw a few fishermen in one of the many ponds/lakes in the park.

Here is some information from the website:

Shelby Farms is the one of the largest urban parks in the United States. At approximately 4500 acres it is five times larger than New York City's famed Central Park. Originally Shelby Farms was a working penal farm dedicated to the rehabilitation of prisoners. In the 1960's its role as a penal farm ceased and a decade later the Shelby County Commission approved a plan for recreational use of the lands.

Today park visitors enjoy walking, fishing, mountain biking, horseback riding and even inline skating. With plenty of open areas visitors can put down their blankets and watch kites floating on air or kayaks and small sailboats gliding across Patriot Lake. The Lucius E. Burch Jr. State Natural Area comprises approximately 700 acres of wetlands and hardwood forest located in the southern portion of Shelby Farms. Covered pavilions and picnic areas dot the Farms and there are public rooms available to groups in the Visitors Center.

Each month Shelby Farms Park hosts community events. One of the biggest is the annual 4th of July Star Spangled Celebration. Additional information on Shelby Farms can be found at the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy web site at www.shelbyfarmspark.org

The best part was just being alone with my thoughts and really doing something for me. I guess that sounds a little selfish, but sometimes you have to just take care of yourself, so you can be of use to others! I partake in exercise at school, but somehow it is not the same. I did find it difficult to jog with this extra 12 pounds I'm carrying around!!!! UGH!!! Hopefully, I can find the time to do this more often after Volleyball season is over. (Tuesday!)