Gasparilla 5K

I have never been a runner. I always wanted to be able to run…more than 100 yards. I can bike for miles, swim, but I can’t run. Since my friend Denise had come so far in her running, it motivated me to give running another try. My goal was to be able to run a 5k without stopping to walk.



This all started in about October 2008.

I found a great 10 week beginning running program on line. It was perfect for my level of training. The first week was one minute of running, one minute of walking for 20 minutes. Second week was two minutes of running, one minute of walking, etc until you built up to running 20 minutes. I trained on my treadmill in the house. Well, I slacked on the training program and never finished past 6 weeks. I was up to running 6 minutes at a time. I knew I could do more but I didn’t push myself!

I decided to register for the Gasparilla 5k and either be ready or die trying. My husband also registered and committed to running with me instead of leaving me in the dust. He was a runner since high school. A 5k would be easy peasy rice and cheesy for him.

Two days before Gasparilla, my last day to run before a day of rest, I thought it best that I actually ran outside at least once before the race. I ran 1.84 miles in a strong wind before I gave up and went home. See what I mean…you runners are probably laughing at my 1.84 miles! It’s OK…I laughed at myself. I also thought I would die running Gasparilla’s 3.1 miles. In all my “training” I didn’t even make it to 3.1 miles.

I was nervous Gasparilla morning. My goal was to finish the race in 45 minutes or less, not puke or pass out. I succeed in all three! Mike and I finished in 36 minutes 9 seconds. I did have to walk a couple times, but limited it to only one minute each time. The race was fun and not nearly as bad as I thought.

Or was it like child birth….adrenaline and time dull the memories of pain and suffering. Either way….  I finished my first 5k!!

Christmas in Buffalo, NY

Being a FL girl, I do enjoy visiting the snow. I'm prepared with warm jackets, hats, gloves, snow boots, etc. and usually end up hot under all the layers. Here's the only snow fall while we were there.

Having never grown up with snow, I love playing in it! Fortunately, so do our boys! We visited Jodi & Bobby's new place on Christmas Day.






Bobby bulldozed through some earth to create a great sledding hill (it was done before we got there). I was ecstatic that the new house was just as much fun as the old.

Chrissy & Jared

Mike & Jared

Dylan with his sheet of ice

Tubing here we come! This was the first year the boys were old enough to go tubing on their own. Jared dove right in and loved it! Dylan needed to spend some time on the bunny slopes first but eventually made it to the big hills. I'm so proud of both of them!









Down came the rain and washed the snow away. On Saturday, it warmed up to a FL winter. We got a full day of rain. The snow pretty much melted where we were staying. I wanted to go to Niagara Falls that day. But we postponed the visit for Sunday. Mike wouldn't be joining us because he had tickets to the Bills game.


On Sunday came the hurricane force winds! It didn't seem that bad at the house so we braved the falls anyway. Whoa! The winds were 10x worse at the falls! I was afraid Dylan would be blown away.

Us in front of the Horseshoe Falls

Brett & Jen in front of the American Falls

What a terrific trip! A bit long but still enjoyable. Our pets at home were starved for our attention. We were all glad to be back in sunny FL.

Washington, DC

On our biennial trip to Buffalo, NY we decided to stop in Washington, DC to take in the sites. We stayed right in the heart of downtown within walking distance of all the activities. DC was an exciting city but bitter cold while we were there.

Jared's face and nose were cold. After much whining, he found a solution. He could see through the hat and walked around the streets of DC with it covering his face. That's my Jar!



Here we are in front of the Washington Monument. The boys obviously see something we don't.


The walk to the Lincoln Memorial. Little did we know, the individuals walking on the left of the reflection pond, chose their route poorly. Unfortunately we also chose the left and had to step over much duck doo. Blah!

One of Jared's friends from school and Cub Scouts was also in DC the same time we were so we met up with them for dinner and site seeing. What a small world.

The next day we hit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Such and amazing place with so much to see AND free admission. One of my favorite sections was the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals which included the 45.52 carat blue Hope Diamond. *gasp, ooh, ah* It was gorgeous and ginormous!

Dumb, Dumb - Give me gum gum !

The White House at Christmas time...a beautiful site. Although for us, it's our only in-person site. Notice the sharp shooter on the roof. Jared saw that too and excitedly shouted it to the crowd. Gotta love his energy and enthusiasm.

We had a great time in DC. Off to the snow storms in NY!

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Photos

It's the most wonderful time of the year! December is here and that means Christmas cards! It's a great time of year to take a family photo. Last year we had photos taken at the beach. This year we went to UT. It's a beautiful campus with old red brick buildings and lots of greenery on the grounds. Check out the great photos that our friend Kelly took.

Busy Busy

We've had a busy October and November! This will be a quick catch up post and then hopefully I'll start blogging more often.

Halloween
The boys were Batman and Robin for Halloween. Their costumes were adorable. The adults loved that Dylan was Robin. It was Dylan's idea to be Robin and he desperately wanted Jared to match him as Batman. He talked Jared into the Batman costume...along with me buying him a Batman accessory from Target. I'm glad Jared gave Dylan what he wanted because Dylan gives in so much more.

The Dynamic Duo!

Mike and I hosted an adult Halloween party at our house this year. I thought it was fitting that we were referees. Luckily, no one was ejected from the game.

Camping
We did a group camping trip to Hillsborough River State Park. Camping is the best mini vacation! Our boys love being outside and having the freedom to wander a little. The weather was perfect...not too cold and not hot.

Life Is Good....but why am I the only one smiling?! BOYS!!!



Friends around the campfire.




Here's a creeptastic photo of a huge banana spider. I took this picture so just imagine how close I was. I shutter just thinking of it again.



Grandma's Birthday
My Grandma turned 80 last month! We had a big party for her to celebrate her wonderful life.

Me, husband and kids





My family (grandma, mom, dad, sisters and their families)