Belated Birthday!

I've been so busy celebrating my birthday, working, working out, and taking care of Austin Runners Club business, that I missed a blog post!! ARC has been super busy lately, with extra emails to send and tons of social media, but I also just got access to blog posting capabilities through their WordPress site so I HAVE been blogging... just not here!! Regardless, I had a great birthday which included an annual group lunch with friends, a 10-mile run and a Barre class with the Austin Runners Club board, a pretty amazing dinner at Home Slice Pizza with the family, and an exceptional day out with Aurora watching Harry Potter in Concert, with the Austin Symphony Orchestra LIVE on stage!

The Home Slice meal was amazing because I'd "won" it at a silent auction (meaning, I was the highest bidder) and it included their best bottle of sparkling wine, appetizers, pizza, and several desserts! Harry Potter in Concert was even more magical than I'd expected. We were right up front with the conductor. So cool.

Of course, my birthday marks the first day of fall, and Austin got the memo! My first track workout as a 41 year old was in the pouring rain!!

Being on the ARC board has kept me super busy, and it's also made me feel more obligated to show up to way more workouts, which is good for me - and maybe it's good for the family as well. Clark is finally becoming more of a daddy's boy, and Aurora's fine with me being gone on weeknights as long as I'm home in time for a hug before bed. It's not always easy balancing it all, but we're making it work. Thanks for all the birthday wishes, cards, and gifts!!

Health & Fitness

I had such a cool work week and it bled into the weekend in the best possible way. On Friday I presented an oversized check to Marathon Kids on behalf of the Austin Runners Club, then I headed to City Hall to accept an award from Mayor Steve Adler as LIVESTRONG was accepted as a Mayor's Health & Fitness Council Partner.

This weekend was the LIVESTRONG Honor 5k/10k and it was the most fun 10k I've ever done. Part of that was the community and the cause; being surrounded by so many friends, colleagues, and people I know from the running community was SO much fun. Part of it was that running 6+ miles felt great and I'm pretty sure it was my fastest 10k yet. 

I already think my desk job is pretty cool, but being able to represent the Foundation and the Austin Runners Club in the community and at running events has been such an honor. I feel so fortunate for my health, our happy family, and all the opportunities we've been given. 

10-Miles

This weekend was jam packed from the moment I left work on Friday. I scheduled a sleepover for Aurora, Chuck picked up Clark for a boys night, and I went to happy hour followed by a charity event with colleagues.

I got home past my bedtime and woke up before the sun to go on an organized 10-mile run. This is the first year I've kept training through the summer and it's really paying off.

I didn't get much sleep Friday night but made up for it Saturday! We slept in, did laundry, yard work, food shopping, and I took the kid's to Aurora's first Girl Scout meeting of the year.

Clark joined in as the girls learned about gardening and planted lettuce. Aurora is a Junior now and I can already tell this is going to be a great year for Troop 29. The next badge they'll earn is about hurricane preparedness and we're going to be holding a fundraiser to support the Texas coast as they rebuild after Harvey. I also got to spend a few minutes chatting with my folks in Florida. They don't have power right now but expect to make it through Hurricane Irma fine. I hope the rest of our family and their homes fare just as well!

Monopoly

After an eventful storm and a busy week with Chuck traveling, we went right into a long holiday weekend. It was an extra long weekend for us, as Clark had a fever so we stayed home Friday as well. Aurora and I did finish our game of Monopoly (she won!), and while Clark was home sick we played "Onopoly Junior." I won, and we had to have a talk about being a good sport when we lose.

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We stayed home, did puzzles, watched movies, and while it was beautiful outside and I had a couple of nice long runs, the family mostly stayed indoors while Clark recuperated. I did ask if we could go get him a haircut, and he insisted that I give him a buzz cut. I asked if he even knew what that was, and he said yes - he remembered that I gave him one when he was two years old. So, we did it!

I'm telling you, he didn't eat for days and was sort of a sad, tired little dude. But the buzz cut made him so happy! He liked it when he was two, and if that smile is any indication he likes it now. I think it makes his eyes and smile look bigger and brighter (and it's super soft). Sorry, Mom! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...