I did it!!

'Run a Race' is checked off the Bucket List. I think I'll probably try to do it again next year :0). I want to improve my time! I ran it in 1 hr 12 min which ends up being approximately 11 min miles. Not bad, but I want to shoot for 10...can we say Type A personality?? I think I ran pretty well considering I had a sinus infection and possibly an ear infection. Thank goodness I took an Advil before I started. As soon as it wore off my head was throbbing.

The weather was pretty cold, but after I got going, it felt great. Thanks goodness it was sunny! I can't imagine how it would have felt in the rain! I think my favorite memories will be seeing my family cheering me on at mile 3 and feeling that adrenaline kick in big time at mile 5. The streets were lined with people, everyone running was giving that last mile their all, and I loved the image of hundreds of heads bobbing up & down in front of me...very cool.

Here are some pics~

Here are Abbey, Ana, and I before the race.

We did it!!!

Midlothian Globetrotters??

I guess sitting at all of those basketball practices this winter for her sisters has paid off. Here's Sadie dribbling~

Happy St Patrick's Day~!~!~!

Tonight before the girls' bedtime, I read them Patrick by Tomie DePaola and it had a lot of facts about him & St Patrick's Day that I had never heard before. Here is some info on St Patrick I thought I'd share~

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. It is known that St. Patrick was born in the end of the fourth century. During this time the Irish people were not Christians, but were Pagans. St. Patrick is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D. At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. According to his writing, a voice (which he believed to be God's) spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation, an angel in a dream told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a mission to convert the Irish to Christianity.

Cinderella!

Today I took the girls to see Cinderella performed by CYT (Christian Youth Theater) in Richmond. The show was AWESOME! The performers were ages 14-18 and they all did a great job. The sets were interesting, the music was entertaining, and the acting was impressive. It was a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon! The girls had fun getting all dressed up, too. On our way to the show, we talked about how important it is to be ladylike at the theatre and they did a fantastic job. It was actually a pleasure to take them out to a special event.

Here are pictures of the girls meeting one of the stepsisters and Cinderella herself! Sadie & Elise even got her autograph which they thought was fabulous!

If you ever want to take your kids to an affordable entertaining play that's not too far and just the right length, I highly suggest CYT! They'll be performing Peter Pan in June and High School Musical 2 in August.

Crocus~

This fall I finally got my act together and bought some bulbs to plant in the backyard. I chose to plant some crocuses because I have very fond memories of them popping up in my front yard when I was a little girl. I can remember being so excited when I spotted the first ones. I'd gather all of them and put them in a little plastic cup beside my bed. Sadly, they didn't last long (kind of like the fireflies I'd catch), but they brought me such joy. I always thought it was neat how they would open & close depending on the warmth of the day. We're still waiting for the first ones to bloom in our backyard & I hope they put a smile on my little girl's faces...I know they'll put one on mine :0).

It's Official!

So one of the things on my bucket list is to run a race. Well...on March 27th, I'll be running my first race ever! I officially signed up to run the Monument Avenue 10K!!! For those of you who knew me as a kid...I was NOT a runner. I used to cry weeks before having to do the 600 for the school's physical fitness tests. I was chubby and very slow. I remember always coming in last or second to last (if I ran with a friend with asthma...so sad I know!).

I've been running/jogging/walking now for 2 or so years and I've worked up to running 3 miles twice a week since the summer. I wanted to do the 10k last year, but I ended up in physical therapy for my foot & hip. I'm really hoping I don't injure myself this time!

My friend & I have been running together for a few weeks now and we just did 4 1/2 miles on Monday. It felt great! I think I could have gone further, but I had to fold a mound of laundry and mop the floor before preschool pickup :0).

I'm so grateful to have the time to train for something like this and I'm excited to do it! My goal is simply to run the entire thing! I'm not that concerned with time, although I did sign up to be in the 65-70 minute wave, so if I could make it in that time frame I'd be REALLY happy!

Only 3 1/2 weeks to go! Wish me luck :0)