Badges?

This weekend we did the usual stuff like laundry, food shopping, cleaning the house, going to the library (the kid's room is open again!), I ran 6-miles, we went to the new Cheesecake Factory at the mall, and Aurora had her first Brownie meeting of the year. I was in charge of snacks and the agenda included meeting a new member, doing a crossword puzzle, remembering the Girl Scout Pledge and Friendship Circle, and voting for which badges we'd be working toward this year. Aurora's hoping for a Harry Potter science badge, but it doesn't look like her friends are as into Harry Potter as she is. We'll see! Next weekend we'll get a badge for doing the Daisy Dash 5K and Fun Run. I doubt many of the girls (or their moms) are into that either but how could I not register us?

Clark came to the meeting and just ate snacks the entire time. Last weekend I registered him and Chuck for their first ever volunteer gig with Little Helping Hands. The activity was making Christmas tags out of old cards for a new nonprofit that's all about reusing resources to keep Austin sustainable. Afterwards, Little Helping Hands sent a link with photos I didn't even realize they had taken!

I figured this would be something the boys would enjoy, but I think next time I sign Clark up for a volunteer project it'll be planting trees or mulching outdoors. He's such a sweet little dude, but he's not going to be getting any badges for being helpful or doing crafts (or sitting still at restaurants) anytime soon...

#BestBirthdayEver

I'm not sure how September snuck up on us so quickly. All week long I've been thinking that it doesn't feel like it could possibly be my birthday yet. I figured maybe once you hit a certain age your birthday simply doesn't feel as special. Then I woke up this morning and BOOM - it was my birthday and it was pretty much the best birthday ever! There were actually FOUR birthdays at work today, which made it so much fun. Kim made fresh-squeezed orange juice for us, Greg brought flowers for me and Kelsey, Rebecca took me out to a fancy and delicious lunch, and a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers arrived without a card indicating who they were from!

Rebecca thought they were probably from Chuck and I said "Not a chance in the world - Chuck doesn't send me flowers at work!" I actually called the flower shop and it turns out they were indeed from Chuck Wadey! I told him I thought this must be the first time he's ever sent me flowers at work and he replied "Definitely the first time in 2015." HA! I had asked him to go grocery shopping over the weekend and have Clark pick out flowers and a cake while Aurora and I were at the Marathon Relay, but poor little Clarkie was sick so the boys stayed home. I ended up baking my own cake (which was delicious) and I certainly did not expect to get flowers.

I also got cute cards in the mail from my parents, Bernice, Nancy and Susanna & Johnny. Susanna's card included an awesome photo circa 1953. Aurora made a card, but she wrote something much more profound a few days back that I wanted to share instead. She found it in a book called Lifetimes and said she could tell it was very important...

Such a sweet girl. I asked Clark to please not cry today as my one birthday request, but that was asking too much. He did get very happy after eating a slice of that chocolate-peanut butter cake! Everybody kept asking why I came to work on my birthday, and I have to say - being at work today was awesome. It truly was the #BestBirthdayEver and I feel so loved. I'm not sure what the last year of my 30's has in store, but I will do my best to enjoy every day of it. Also, I think tomorrow I should probably eat a salad...

We Got The Runs

Today was the 3rd Annual Car2Go Marathon Relay, one of my favorite events of the year. I was able to line up most of the same runners for my team as the past two years and once again, we had a great time. This year I actually had a pretty good finishing time as well! My goal was to go from over 12 minute miles to under 10 minute miles and shave 8-10 minutes off my total time. Done and done!

My other goal was to stay until the end and take a final victory lap with our 6th runner, something Aurora and I weren't able to do last year. It was well worth the wait!

This year the hills didn't seem as steep, the miles didn't seem as long, and I swear Aurora could've run a full leg of the race herself. Maybe one of these years she will! All in all, it was a great day for Team We Got The Runs.

Ordinary

It seems like we've all settled into a normal back-to-school schedule. Each morning we get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, pack lunches and head out early for school and work. Afterwards, we typically make dinner and watch TV or a movie, though some days we take a neighborhood walk or head to the library before starting our bedtime routine.

On weekends we sleep in just a little. We've been taking the kids to the park in the morning so they can play while I go running, then we food shop, prep lunches for the week, do laundry, play video games, and try to get Clark to nap. This weekend I got a state inspection for my car and scheduled jury duty, got a pedicure and dyed my hair, and Chuck's draining our hot water heater. Just an ordinary week, but never a dull moment!

Texas Road Trip

Now that we have Chuck's car back, we decided it would be fun to take advantage of the long weekend and go on a little road trip! We headed out early Saturday morning to Gonzales, Texas, home of the "COME AND TAKE IT" cannon and flag; site of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution. You may not know this, but Chuck loves reading big boring books about Texas and American history, so he's very interested in visiting little historic towns like this.

The kids love a good road trip, enjoy going to museums (even jail museums), and I imagine they're learning a bit of Texas State history as well. They were most excited about the opportunity to go camping. Truth is, we almost didn't get to camp because the park we'd originally wanted to go to was full, and we hadn't made reservations. We ended up taking a slightly longer road trip than expected to find another park with space, and both kids were SO happy that we found a spot.

Chuck and Aurora did some sunset swimming before bed, which felt great after a hot day. Clark mostly played with rocks, but he wanted to swim this morning before going home. All three of them are swimming together in the last picture.

We've been talking about joining our community pool (which also offers lake access) and buying a kayak. Aurora says she'd love that, as long as we can still go camping. While I never sleep as well in a tent as the rest of the family, I do enjoy the opportunity to get away for a night in the great outdoors. I'm also going to enjoy relaxing at home with our extra day off! Maybe taking a nap, getting a pedicure, and going to the movies...

Instant Winners!

I have not been feeling much like a winner this week. We're both super busy at work, life is hectic at home, and Chuck's car has been in and out of the shop with one thing after another, which equals lots of money and carpooling. Looking on the bright side, I'll admit that I'd rather be busy than not busy at work, the kids are doing great at school, we've had Chuck's car for over 10 years and it's had hardly any problems until now, and carpooling isn't actually so bad! In fact, today carpooling was kind of awesome. Chuck got to see Clark's new class and meet his teachers for the first time, and since we were all together we decided to go out to dinner. Turns out, kids eat FREE on Tuesdays at Kirby Lane, and a ton of Aurora's friends seem to know about it so dinner was yummy, fun, and light on the pocket book! I needed a few things at HEB afterwards and the kids got Buddy Bucks, as usual. This time, BOTH KIDS WERE INSTANT WINNERS!!!

For those of you who don't live in Texas, we get Buddy Bucks every time we go food shopping with the kiddos, and usually they get 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, or 50 point stickers. Once you've accumulated a couple hundred points, you can mail them in and get cheap toys and school supplies, which they change up every few months. But SOMETIMES you get an instant winner, where you can claim your prize on the spot. A few weeks ago Aurora got a pencil sharpener and today she got an HEB pencil! Clark opted for the temporary tattoos and both kids had a great night. As much fun as we had, I'm hoping that tomorrow will be our last day of carpooling (and paying for car repairs) for awhile.