Fun at the school

We had a busy start to the morning. We went to Picha farms for some strawberries. Time for freezer jam again. Then we came home ate breakfast watched Tinker Bell and started going a little stir crazy, so we walked to the school and played.

I love Audreys action shots!

Ava was being a brave climber today...not so brave on the slides....She did end up going down by herself though.

Spencer gets to hang out with us now on Fridays!

Now it is nap time then it is run time again to get Ava ready for her dance recital practice. It will be so much fun to watch!

Summer Time

It is officially summer! I have not pulled out my camera recently, but with weather like this pictures are coming. Spencer and I are having a weekend to ourselves...so we will see what kind of mischief we can get into. Hope you like the new look!

Banana Brownies

I dont usually share recipes here...but this one is awesome.
Banana Brownie
1 box brownie mix ( Whatever one has the amount of calories that works for you)
3 ripe bananas
1/4 c water
Blend bananas until smooth, ad water mix, add brownie mix and stir until brownie consistancy. Pour into lightly greased pan and cook as directed.
If you want a delicious treat minus the extra fat give these a try! YUMMMMMMY

What now?

I have spent the last couple weeks getting back into my routine....setting new goals...and revising my plan. I have been thinking a lot about my accomplishment and what I have achieved by running a Half Marathon. When I decided to do it I was doing it purely for physical reasons. I wanted to see better success on the scale. I wanted to push myself to a new level of success. The thing is the scale did not reflect the effort I made, let me change that. I did what I set myself up to do. My body changed, I went down another size and I definitely feel empowered.
What does it mean to feel empowered. It means that I can do whatever I set my mind to do. It means that I am strong and capable, and what others think of me does not define who I am. It means that I can open myself up to new friendships and relationships and not have to hold on to the past so hard. It means that it is ok to like myself and I make myself a better mom, friend, sibling and wife because of it.
I always thought I would be happier if I would just lose weight. It is not the weight loss that has made me happy. What has made me happy is my accomplishments. Its the changes I have made because I decided that I was strong enough to try, and even when I was unsure if I was strong enough, I was sure of myself to try. I had enough confidence in myself to try. I am happier because along the way I am finding myself. I have always thought that along with the physical part of weight loss there is just as much emotional. The whys need to be dealt with as much as the hows. The whys sometimes take more energy than the how's. This run helped me realize that I need to feel strong to get the last of the weight off. I am strong, because I have the support of my family, my friends and myself.
My next goal is to run a 5k in 32minutes. That will shave off 10minutes off my time last year. I am also going to fine tune my eating, because with all the training I did do, my body should have responded differently....
So on I go....!!!!!

Family

We spent the weekend with my Brother and his family this weekend. We had pool time, hiking time and running time. Brian and Beth took us on a hike the day before the run. We had a blast. Shannon was in his element. He climbed the face of a "mountain" and we all jumped creeks, played in caves and played on vines. It was a great day!

On See Jane Run day Audrey, Myles, and Sophie ran the kids run. They all did great. Shannon ran with Audrey and Myles....ok mainly Myles. Audrey left him behind.

Emma and Spencer both did a 5k. Spencer finished in 42:22 and Emma at 36:22.

Beth and her friend ran the Half Marathon with me. Beth finished in 2hrs 3min. She did amazing!

We all did fantastic! I am proud of us all! We enjoyed our visit!

I did it!

Well I did it! I finished a Half Marathon. 3hr 28min. I feel good. I feel like I accomplished a goal that was unattainable...yet I did it! I had help and support. I met several new friends that also did things that they did not know that they could accomplish. I also have discovered something about myself along the way.

13.1 miles gives you a lot of time to think. I thought about how hot it was, I thought about friends and family. I thought about future goals and what I can do for myself and family to stay healthy.
I passed by a man and a woman holding a sign that said " You Rock" I am sure they had friends they were there for but as I passed by they made sure they clapped for me .... and I realized that I rocked that day! And then I started to cry. I haven't told anyone that yet. Yes at mile 3 I started crying. Not because of pain or discomfort (that came later) but because I realized that I was doing something special. I was doing something that anyone can do if they want to....but I did it. I have had a difficult time believing that this was special, sure people have told me so....but to do this ,to accomplish this was special. I will never forget how much training I did, the frustration of the rain, the pain of breaking in a new pair of shoes, the sweat, and the pain. I wont forget the smiles people gave me as I ran next to them or as they clapped at the next bend, cheering me on...saying that I was doing a good job. I wont forget the blisters or the tightness between my shoulder blades, the sunburn( because I forgot the sunblock.) I wont forget seeing my brother the last half mile running towards me with a bottle of water and keeping me moving. I wont forget the last tenth of a mile seeing my family on the side, Audrey and my niece standing with their hands out to me for a high five, feeling at this point no pain just feeling like I was special....
Most of all I wont forget the tears at mile 3 because I knew at that point that I was doing something that I swore I would never do...I did it. This was my journey, my accomplishment, and while I could never have done it without all the support I had. This was mine...this was my work! There is not one part of this day that I will forget!

I look at this picture now, and I would never know that my body hurt. I see this picture now and see the happiness. Maybe soon I will forget the pain....maybe I will do this again.....someday.....

This picture is here because when I crossed the finish line, my name was not announced. My son wore my timing chip...I wore his...OOPS! They have fixed it and finally my time has been fixed.

Washington to Seaside

Our skilled driver.... check!

Our crazy lady navigator....Check! ( When you use a map you might plan your trip..with the navigator you get to recalculate...a lot.

A pee stop in a very small town in oregon. Where we got this awesome shot!...this one's for you Uncle!

Trivia.....anyone know the significance of this car wash in Longview? ... Bonus point if you can tell me day and year?