Joe set a new record Saturday night: he was the first *parrot* to cross the finish line at the Southern Shuffle.

Yes, my husband and my brother wore parrot costumes for the race. Randy found the suits he had bought for a date auction he and Ryan were in a couple of years ago in the back of his Jeep Saturday afternoon and asked Joe if he’d be up for wearing them for fun. How could Joe turn that offer down?

They were a hit! Several girls had their pictures taken with them, and numerous people approached us to ask why in the world they were wearing parrot costumes. Did they lose a dare? No, it was just for fun, the parrots responded.

As the runners took off, Joe passed a bunch of people and said he heard comments like, “Wow, the parrots really *can* run,” and, “I can’t be beat by a parrot!” The guys ended up doing pretty well, and Joe broke a personal record for one of his miles despite being in a hot costume.

While Joe and Randy ran the 3k, my mom; Randy’s girlfriend, Tina; and I did the 1-mile walk. We had a blast, and I pushed ahead of them at the very end to cross the non-finish line first. I say that because the walkers weren’t allowed to actually cross the finish line. We just walked to the side of it. It was actually quite disappointing, since it was my first race, but hopefully the organizers will make some changes next year.

After the race, we headed to the Haunted Barn. In the more than 10 years that it’s been around, I had never been, despite how close it is to my parents’ house.

It was pretty good. It was more startling than scary, but it was fun. At the end, we had to make our way through a maze in complete darkness to get outside. I thought there would be some light creeping in, but it was pitch black. It was really weird. It took us a while, but we finally got through. I was just glad I had made Joe go first!

Now, Joe wants to find more races that I can walk in. It was a lot of fun and made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something even though I can’t run.

*”Suit up!” is a saying from How I Met Your Mother. If you haven’t watched it, do so. There you have my recommendation for the day.