Sending good thoughts...

Jon's home state of South Dakota is bracing for major flooding. We're sending good thoughts to all the people working hard to minimize the impact of the floods and to everyone affected.

And we wish everyone a very happy Memorial Day! We kicked off our long weekend yesterday (well...mine started Friday!) with me meeting up with my running friends for a great run starting and ending right by our house at the first farmer's market of the year (if you're a facebook friend there is a fun pic that someone posted of a few of my Runner's Edge girls). Jon and the kids met up with us after and we walked around with friends. What a fun and relaxing morning. The weather wasn't so warm in the afternoon but after naptime we took Spencer to the lake by the pool we joined for the summer and he fished while Shoshi and I hung by the playground. Today should give us the warmest weather of the three days and we're planning to spend the day by the pool. But first...more coffee!

Mom & dad and Girls on the Run 5k...

My parents came in to visit last weekend. After what I planned to have as a well orchestrated travel schedule (which for anyone who ever travels knows how rarely travel goes as planned) we had less than 48 hours with my folks. Their flight should have landed at the same time as mine on Friday morning (I had to visit a client on the west part of the state) and then we had a planned lunch, pedis and a quick trip to Nordstrom before the kids woke up from their naps at daycare. But their flight got cancelled and Nordstrom had to wait until Saturday!

Saturday morning I volunteered at a 5k race called Girls on the Run. The organization trains girls in grades three through eight for their first 5k. They meet twice weekly and learn about nutrition, self esteem, and all the other great things related to running. Along with a few of my running buddies, we ran the race with the girls and helped them to the finish. My dad went early with me to help setup and meet some of my friends and then my mom, Jon and the kids met us for the run and to hang out after.

One of the best parts of the morning is that next year I may have my own running buddy...my mom! She was inspired to incorporate some running into her walks so she can be ready for next year's 5k! Go mom!

Then we were off to the zoo (which is part of the park we were at), then frozen yogurt (my fave), then the kids took a nap and my mom and I went to Nordstrom for some girl time and much needed swimsuit shopping (and few other fun purchases including a very cute pair of sandals I've worn about every day this week!). Then we were off for dinner and then...well...I barely made it to bed before the kids! Sunday was also fun but we had to take my folks back to the airport. What a fun trip!

Here's the gang cheering at the run

Me and one of my running buddies Jenny cheering on a very adorable little girl to the finish line

Victory!!!! (I like these 5ks...usually I'm not this perky at the finish line!)

   

Me and Jenny and my favorite little runner

Dad and Spencer working on an erector set together

Next activity...the zoo. Shoshi decided she loved the big geese and chased after them. Here she is telling my dad that the signs that say "don't chase the geese" don't apply to cute little girls!

She even loved the sign with the picture of the goose that said to keep away from the babies!

And here's Shoshi pointing at the goose. She sure loved those birds!

Spencer has become a terrific balance bike rider (the bike has no pedals). He can go several miles and likes to hop on it as soon as we get home at night.

The bigger the hairbow the better the mama...

We spent last weekend in Texas with Jon's family - his dad, Lewie; stepmom Linda; her son Scott and Melissa and their twins Cooper and Addison born the same week as Spencer. We had so much fun watching the cousins hang out. We hadn't seen Scott and Melissa in such a long time but it's like no time passes when we get together. Melissa sent me home with a bag of hair bows that Addy outgrew for Shoshi (you'll see below she sports her first hairbow ever!) and taught me the expression in Texas "the bigger the hairbow the better the mama". We also spent time with Jon's cousin Laura and her husband Damon who we are hoping will one day make the move to Denver.

The whole clan before dinner

Scott and Melissa took us out to a real Texas dinner (read: lots of fried food!). Here's Shoshi eating (and loving) her first fried okra.

Daddy and Shoshi

Grandpa, Spencer, Cooper and Addy

Cooper and Spencer flying a kite together

Scott and Shoshi

Me and Melissa

The girls and their hairbows!

Just chillin'

Grandpa and his girls

Me and my baby!

At the playground with mah-maw and grandpa

No trip is complete without a long run! Jon woke up early with me and rode along as I ran 12 miles. This is us post-run and pre-Starbucks!

Sporting a new dress from grandpa

Lewie flies planes at the local flying field and Spencer had a blast watching

Daddy and his girl!

Family getaway and race recap...

I clocked in at 1:59 (and a few seconds) for the Ft. Collins half marathon last weekend. While it's exciting to get in under two hours the run was a little slower than I hoped, but overall I was pretty happy. I finished in the top 25% of women and in my age group with an average pace of just over 9 min/mile. The best part of the race was going up for the night with the family. Spencer and Shoshi are so much fun to hang with and are finally much easier to travel with (and require a lot less gear than in years past!) and it's so great to have the family waiting at the finish. Jon is the best cheerleader (along with Spencer) and has fun with the kiddos (and thankfully the keeper of my warm clothes for after the run!).

The race was from one point up a canyon to downton Ft. Collins. I had to take a shuttle at 5am to the start and then stand around for over an hour in the 30 (if that) degree weather waiting to run. Once we started I did exactly what I said I wouldn't do...I started out too fast. I was aiming fo ran average pace of about 8:40/mile but started out around there (and a little faster) which left me a little deflated the last five or so miles. Oh well...live and learn. I'm signed up for another half marathon in about a month so I'm pumped to beat this time.

The race was really pretty, running for the first few miles through a beautiful canyon and then meandering through...well...I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other I'm not quite sure where we went from there!

I had a bunch of running friends that ran the marathon or half marathon and we had dinner with some of them Saturday night...here we are carbo loading at an Italian restaurant.



Here I am on the way to the finish line. Bad posture below but I was a little tired!

Shoshi in her track suit helping me cheer on friends running the marathon (and trying to sneak in eating some gravel).

Jon made this sign at the race expo!



Me and Shoshi cheering on friends running the full marathon!

Here's a picture of me and Bill, the CFO of my favorite clients. He ran the full marathon in an amazing time.



The kids conked out (for a few minutes!) in the car on the ride home.