I Regret Nothing

What an awesome week it has been. We just got back from our trip from Seattle and I don't even know where to begin! It was the perfect vacation, filled with all the site-seeing, family, friends, food, and fun you would expect, plus an epic Ragnar Relay. This is way too much for one post, but I'm doing it all at once anyway! We kicked things off with a visit from Katie & Donnell and a backyard barbecue complete with a cake that Lillie made to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.

It's hard to believe that we got married just a few miles from this spot 20 years ago. While we've been back a few times, we have many friends who we haven't seen in all those years, and while they couldn't all come to our party, we did end up seeing my brother Eric and our friends Christie & Jen. We also got to spend time with Jack & Avery and all the Ostergards, which was so great.

Then we did a ton of site-seeing! Chuck & I rented a car and I bought Seattle City Passes for the family so we could be tourists in our hometown. We stopped by the Fremont Troll and Gas Works Park on our way to the Woodland Park Zoo, went to Snoqualmie Falls, the Seattle Aquarium, took a Harbor Cruise and went up into the Great Wheel (which wasn't even there the last time we visited). We spent a full day exploring the Space Needle and Seattle Science Center and took the kids to a laser show, which brought us both right back to our old High School days.

We also took a trip down memory lane. We drove the kids past all of our childhood homes, schools, and the places we worked. It turns out that was a more extensive list than I'd anticipated. From Soos Creek Elementary to Kentridge High School and West Coast Awards, and I'm sure the kids were thrilled to see it. Aurora took this picture of me and Chuck at Meridian Middle School (formerly Meridian Junior High) right outside the art room where we first met.

And then, there was the running. I actually did a short run early in the week just to test my legs in 60 degree weather, and it was AMAZING. I don't remember ever going to the Soos Creek Trail, but if I lived in Kent or Covington you better believe I'd run that trail every week. It was glorious.

Then I met up with Team LIVESTRONG for our second Ragnar Relay. There were a few new faces this time around but it was mostly the same crew, all fresh off the airplane and ready to run. We definitely spent more money this time around with a fancier dinner, nicer rental house right on the water in Bellingham, and Cadillac Escalades (I guess there were no more vans!). 

I've been suffering here in Austin, trying so hard to continue training in the 97 degree heat and humidity, being forced to stop and walk on tough trails and rugged, hilly terrain. I've been struggling so much I started questioning whether I should've even signed up for this event. But all three of my runs were in cool temps, early morning and late evening. I ran faster than anticipated and could've taken on more miles. I think my whole team felt this way.

My final run was just a short 2.5 miles through a typical neighborhood, but our team in Van 1 was pretty proud to check all of our boxes and head to the finish line.

Check out Julian's Blog for details on how the trip ended, but let's just say the family had A fun time while I was away and I think they enjoyed the adventure of coming to get me on Whidbey Island. We were parked next to dozens of Ragnar vans on the ferry ride home and Aurora scored a meme from the side of Team Donut Even which sums up this trip AND this super long blog...

I have many more pictures and stories but this will do for now. We haven't quite adjusted back to our earlier evenings and mornings here in Austin and it seems as though Clark is now going to insist on watching SpongeBob SquarePants every waking moment that we're home, but that was pretty much the best vacation ever.

Having a Blast

Chuck and I were both lucky enough to get an extra long weekend from work with very few adventures planned. I went trail running a couple of times, but it was too hot and humid to move very fast. We ran errands and generally just relaxed, which was nice. Today was just about the most quintessential family 4th I could've planned. We all got new Old Navy shirts and went to the Lakeway parade, followed by brunch and an afternoon at the pool with friends.

Yes, Aurora is now jumping into the deep end! Later we headed outside with a small stash of fireworks and met some new neighbors. They have two little boys and we hit it off immediately. In years past Chuck hasn't wanted me to get fireworks (or they've been banned) because we're typically in a drought this time of year, but I stuck with the small stuff like sparklers and disco flashers. The neighbors had a few bigger displays and everybody had a blast.

4th of July is one of those wake up early, stay up late holidays that I think deserves a day off afterwards. But, we had a nice long weekend and in just a few days we're taking a full week off and heading up to Seattle!!! I won't be able to post a blog this weekend but stay tuned for an epic recap once we're home.

Every day is an adventure

This weekend we packed up the car and went camping at Pedernales Falls State Park. I actually planned the weekend around a nighttime trail run. We set up the tent, explored the area, then headed to the start line where I took off just before sunset and Aurora did a 1-mile youth run. There were quite a few kids camping so Aurora and Clark made lots of friends.

Chuck did have his surgery on Thursday so he wanted to keep his ear bandaged as it heals. Most of the time you wouldn't have noticed it, until Clark decided they should switch hats!

I would normally say I don't think 10k finishers should get medals, but this was a tough course; hilly, rocky and sandy. It started getting dark and I turned my headlamp on right around mile 5, and within a minute I wiped out pretty good. Depth perception changes with a headlamp and I got some nice scrapes and bruises on my left elbow and hip. I also got 3rd place in my age group, which just tells you how few people where doing the 10k!!! There was also a 30k and 60k, which were more than I was willing to take on, especially in the dark.

We came home, cleaned up our camping gear, did laundry, food shopped, and spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool. Every day certainly is an adventure!!

Daddy's Present

I don't feature Chuck on the blog much, as he likes to avoid the sun and generally lives his life with a bit more privacy than the rest of us. It might surprise you to hear he's been working on a new youtube channel! I'll post a video when he's ready, but for Father's Day I'll recount this weeks events from his perspective. Thursday, I took the kids to Nature Night, a free event a the Wildflower Center, and it was AWESOME. There were booths, activities, snacks and a great presentation about animal habitats. Chuck had to work late and was nervously awaiting a call back from his dermatologist, who wanted to talk to him about the results from a recent mole biopsy.

Friday was Kim Barnett's 13-year anniversary at work and this year we decided to celebrate with a 13-mile walk. We were out and about, stopping for drinks and lunch and snacks as we meandered around town for half the day. It was hot out, but so much fun.

Chuck heard from his dermatologist while we were walking, and it turns out a mole on his ear was stage 1 melanoma. This week he'll have outpatient surgery to get clear margins, and the earlobe is a tricky place to cut but it's going to be fine. He'll schedule a follow-up with his oncologist based on his history, but finding new moles and removing them at stage 1 is typically nothing to be concerned about. He's also contemplating braces to correct his bite. Interesting.

Saturday night we dropped the kids at a friend's house and went out to dinner alone together. Chuck's pretty easy in terms of gifts. He likes quiet time, which is not always easy to come by in our house! This morning Clark decided he wanted to be daddy's Father's Day present.

We took Chuck to see Cars 3 and had burgers for lunch. Clark is adorable, but taking him out to lunch today was ridiculous. He spilled his drink everywhere, kept dropping jelly on his pants, and for some reason we decided he could have a push-pop afterwards, which dripped all over his shirt. As much as situations like this give Chuck anxiety, he managed it well, refilling Clark's drink and taking him to the bathroom to clean up as needed. He just didn't like Clark walking to the car without a shirt, as he's more nervous than ever about the sun on our skin. No sunburns for our kids!!! While Chuck would rather stay inside and have the house to himself most weekends, he truly is a great dad. We love him and hope he had a happy Father's Day!

Side Breathing

Earlier this week Aurora cried herself to sleep because she was missing her school friends. She's made a lot of new camp friends and we've been having play dates here and there, but sometimes change is just hard. We ended up arranging a sleepover with one of her best school friends Friday, and this friend just happened to have a pool, which would normally make me pretty nervous in a drop-off situation. Aurora has taken swim lessons pretty much every summer, but it's never done much good. This summer she's swimming 2-3 times/day at camp and is making amazing progress! After just two weeks, she might be a better swimmer than me!! Suddenly she can swim with her head in the water and is learning to side breathe. So, in addition to her daily lessons, she swam with her friend Chloe Friday and Saturday.

Today I decided to take the whole family to the community pool. It's our first year as members and this was actually our first time going as a family (Aurora and I have gone with friends before). I should've known that this would be THE PLACE to see school friends! A few of Aurora's good buddies showed up soon after we arrived and we stayed all afternoon, splashing, playing, and watching Aurora dive and flip in the water as though she's been swimming for years. The boys wore hats and long-sleeved shirts and had a great time, too!

Clark was much more tentative than Aurora, but he told me they use kick boards at camp so I dug up our old kick board and he did fine. He's less of a fish for sure, but he does love fish. We spent the morning at Zilker Botanical Gardens and as awesome as all the fairy homes were (seriously, so awesome) his favorite part was watching the koi fish in the Japanese Garden.

I had a pretty awesome weekend, too... actually, a pretty awesome week! Being on the board for the Austin Runners Club has been a lot of work, but it has not been thankless work. On Tuesday's I've been doing track workouts with their weekly training group. Wednesday I got free Amy's Ice Cream for wearing my Distance Challenge shirt on Global Running Day, and Thursday I got an entry into the Maudie's Moonlight Margarita 5k Run and Party where we presented a check for $13,000 to the Trail Foundation. Yesterday I lead a group walk/run around the lake for a Global Wellness Day activity sponsored by the Four Seasons and lululemon, and I was given a lululemon outfit for my efforts! It was a great group and we stopped for pictures at the most scenic areas of the trail.

Running in the heat and humidity isn't easy. I usually eat ice cream INSTEAD of training in the summer, but this year I'm doing both and so far it's going great. Adding in swimming was so refreshing and fun. We will definitely be making it a regular occurrence. Now I just need to start working on my side breathing so I can keep up with Aurora...

Fearless

Just as I was starting to celebrate our LAST EVER daycare payment, summer camp came along. After-school care plus camp may be less expensive than daycare, but not by much! Oh well. I'm just glad we found a camp that works for our family. It's open M-F from 7am-6pm, caring for both kids full-time and consistently throughout the summer. Last year's camp (which is run by our after-school providers) didn't provide coverage for about 5-weeks, including all of August, and Aurora said it felt "like school but without all the learning." This place is open every week and feels like summer. The kids just play all day long. Aurora swims 2-3 times per day, does archery, and goes to gymnastics twice a week. Clark plays, swims, watches movies, and instead of naps they have a zen zone! Here they are at drop-off on their first day...

And when I went to pick them up on Friday. Aurora was swimming for the 3rd time that day and so proud of herself for doggy paddling. Both kids are behind in swimming so we're all happy that they'll be in the pool so much, getting lessons and having fun in the water everyday.

I went to pick Clark up just as the younger kids were gathering their stuff so it would be on the playground with them when their parents came to pick up them up, and Clark refused to come with me. He was going to the playground!!

This weekend we all went to a birthday party at a climbing gym, and I decided to buy a day pass for myself so I could try it out. It was scarier than I'd imagined but Aurora was fearless!

She got to the top 23 times and just let go after every climb. I got to the top plenty, but just falling backwards never came easily to me!! Clark ran around and played. At 4-years old, he's sort of just along for the ride most days. Aurora's summer weekend was super full with a sleepover at Presley's house and a playdate with Aila. She actually texted me from Presley's!

Sweet girl. Clark was happy just hanging out on the couch, playing with me and watching movies. If this week is any indication, we are going to have a fun summer... and I'm probably not going to see Aurora for much of it!!

Finishers

I started the long weekend thinking, I wish I could just take the whole summer off with the kids. I finished the long weekend thinking, thank goodness summer camp starts tomorrow!! Aurora woke up very sad on Thursday, knowing it was her last day as a 3rd grader. She's a sentimental girl! She came home with a ton of signatures in her yearbook and a Perfect Attendance Certificate.

Friday we ran errands and she came to work with me for awhile, then Saturday we woke up bright and early for the Daisy 5k. Aurora and I have done the Daisy 5k for several years. Typically she'll do the kid's run and I'll do the 5k while the boys hang out. This year I registered Clark and he ran the full mile without stopping! Yes, he held my hand the whole time. Aurora made some new friends and floated along to the finish line ahead of us.

I was so proud of both kids for earning their medals! After I ran the 5k, we headed home for a superhero birthday party across the street. It was super fun.

The rest of the weekend was spent at house parties. Sunday was a pool party, and today we went to a bounce house birthday party (not pictured).

It was the kid's first swim of the summer, but it won't be their last! Starting tomorrow they'll be at a day camp all summer long that includes daily swim lessons. We have one camping trip and one vacation on the calendar but otherwise plan to have a pretty low key summer.

Graduations

This has been an exciting week for both kids! Clark's pre-k graduation was absolutely adorable. The kids sang songs and danced on stage, and Clark seriously hammed it up. I should've uploaded video but I think the cuteness of the night comes through in these pictures.

When Clark's name was called to get his "diploma" he got the biggest cheers of anybody, thanks to one VERY excited sister. Aurora couldn't help herself, she was so excited and every conversation with teachers and parents after the ceremony started with "wasn't Clarkie the best dancer?" or "wasn't Clark the cutest?!" Aurora had her own graduation of sorts just a few days later as we all attended her Girl Scout's Bridging Ceremony from Brownies to Juniors.

It's been a great year for both kids and I can't wait to see what Juniors and Kindergarten have in store for these two. 

My Weekend

This year I decided that Mother's Day should last the whole weekend, and I planned accordingly. For those of you who think planning everything myself doesn't give the family a chance to surprise me, I asked Chuck if he could take the kids to HEB on Saturday and surprise me with dinner and breakfast for the next morning, and he said he didn't know how to shop without a list... HA! So, I headed out to the Texas Switchback 10k (my first ever trail race) and a 2-hour yoga workshop, and left Chuck with a shopping list and instructions that the kids could pick out anything they wanted from the assorted flowers, balloons and treats. They had no problem with that!

I came home to a clean house, a gorgeous bouquet, balloon, and chocolate covered strawberries. I am one lucky mama! Sunday morning we made cinnamon rolls before leaving the boys for a girl's day out. Aurora and I went to a painting class and played mini-golf.

It was a perfect, sweet day. We ended the evening relaxing with laundry and pizza, found time to FaceTime Grandma Nancy (we'd sent her a spa bath set), and got a nice email from my mom showing off her new beach tote, towel, and flip-flops. Happy Mother's Day!!!

Today I finally spent some time with my boy, as it was a totally random day off from school thanks to no ice or snow days this winter. We didn't have quite as much fun, but I'd say it was a very productive day. We ate, played, went to the gym, took Clark for a haircut, took both kids in to their first appointment at a pediatric dentist, and went food shopping. Phew!

I said "Clark, you look so relaxed!" and he gargled "I'm being a statue." I'd been taking them both to my dentist but it just wasn't a good experience. This was SO MUCH BETTER (and the toothbrushing kits and toys they got were awesome).

Hope y'all enjoyed your weekend as much as I enjoyed mine!

Outside

I realize I've been posting A LOT about trail running, but I keep discovering new places during our weekly group runs and it's been so much fun! Both kids have been surprisingly enthusiastic about spending their weekends adventuring outside to the cool places I tell them about. Last week we ended up at this gorgeous vista on the way to a rusted out dump truck, and this weekend the kids were up for the hike.

Clark suffers the same seasonal allergies I do but it doesn't stop him from wanting to go outside now that the weather is so nice. Lately he's been less interested in the iPad and more interested in coming up with games using a beach ball or frisbee. He's so funny and enthusiastic every turn. Imagine a game of frisbee with this silly little dude running around giving play-by-play commentary and slow-mo replays of what the frisbee did (or almost did).

Chuck only likes to be outside when there's plenty of shade. This weekend we had a date night and went to an outdoor concert venue! It was after sunset and could not have been more perfect. We did have a few margaritas ahead of time, which may have helped...