Base 5K Race

Saturday was the Base 5K.  Dan and I ran it last year and it was a very small affair.  It was also very very cold.  This year was a little different!  There were probably twice as many runners, and it was hot and humid for the run.  Bleh.  I think there were 30 runners and it was 70 degrees when we started off at 9am.  Well, 9:15.

We're Off!  This is the start.  Again, low key, small race.  This is all the people in it.  I'm in the center, in one of the teal shirts.  My running group got matching "Stroller Warrior" shirts and I wore mine.

 Dan was awesome and trotted over to a point 2/3 of the way through the race to take pictures.  Here I am.  I'm running with my friend and she made me run faster than I usually do!

I thought it wouldn't be that much harder to step it up, but I was wrong!  I can go forever at an 11 minute mile and I can feel pretty good at a 10 minute mile, but she had me at 9! It did not feel good at all.

Yeah, we're cool.  We hammed it up for Dan.  I'm gasping for air but you can't tell.   I was so done in that I couldn't even make a glorious sprint to the end.  I was only able to lengthen my stride.  She whupped me big time on the finish.   But I don't care.  My time was 27:17.  And I will confess, it was only a 3 mile run.  The Garmin put it at 3 on the dot.  No .2 in there at all.  Still don't care.  27:17 is still a PR for me at 3 miles!  So I was happy, but pooped.

This was the best shot ever.  This family started out running together- 1 kid running, and 2 in the stroller.  This is how the Dad finished- 2 kids in the stroller, 1 on his shoulders.  He was still jogging along.  I was immensely impressed!

Silly Socks are Funny.

Today in church, Rylee was disgruntled with her sister.  So she hucked her binky across the aisle.  Yeah, she still has a binkey and yeah, I let her have it in church because it keeps her quieter.  (Not quiet, just quietER!)

Rylee thought I should go and get her binkey from across the aisle and 2 rows up.  I sent Callie to do it and this made Rylee very angry.  She threw the binky again and scowled at me.  I, of course, laughed at her.  Callie giggled and said, "That's funny!"   Rylee glowered at me and growled,  "That's not funny!  Silly Socks are funny!"

Why I love my dog

Sometimes Levi is a naughty dog.   Earlier this week, he managed to get up high enough on the table to lick the butter dish clean. He will snag plates left unattended as well.  Sometimes he gets into the trash. Sometimes he shreds napkins or chews stuff he shouldn't, and sometimes he is a little rough with the kids.  However, he lets Rylee sit on his head and pull his legs.  He lets Callie "wheelbarrow" him and manhandle him around. He is always happy to wrestle and play with Marian. So he is a very good dog too.

Here, we have Rylee riding Levi like a pony.  Callie is dragging him around by the blanket. 

He is a good dog and I love that my kids have a friend.

Lost

The Christmas Season is upon us and I LOVE Christmas.  For me it has always represented family togetherness and that special feeling where all is right with the world.  And, of course, my mom always baked a lot and there was usually a ton of chocolatey goodness involved.  I love baking and I especially love Christmas baking.  Toffee, caramel, oh yes!

But I cannot seem to get myself in gear.  I feel like I can't quite seem to get things together.  I know I have made good stuff in the past and I was doing well with making gingerbread houses till someone stomped on my Christmas cheer a few years ago. But this year I can't seem to do anything right.  (Case and point, was last nights dinner rolls debacle.)

Sure, I have some marvelously grandiose plans, but I am exceedingly lacking in the execution department.  How is this happening?!  Who is sucking away my motivation and organizational skills?  I need them back!  If you happen to find some spare work ethic floating around, please send it my way.

thank you

Orange Festival

I was reminded that my goal was to seek out the interesting things to do here, and to make sure we experienced New Orleans before we moved away.  With that in mind, I told Dan I wanted to go to the Orange Festival. Normally I would balk at the idea of driving an hour away for an unknown "festival" but there was going to be a 5 k, and I figured if we did that then we'd have accomplished something.  Dan said he'd do the run, so I was relegated to photographer and babysitter status.

It really was an hour drive.  There were signs by the base saying that the Orange Festival was at Fort Jackson, but we'd never been there, and honestly, I have never turned right at the gate- not ever, in the 16 months we have lived here.  Who even knew there was an hour worth of drive south of New Orleans?!!  So it was a little worrisome, to be driving forever (56 miles!) with no sign we were going the right way.  Fortunately, when you can see the levee on either side of you, you know you won't miss it.

So yes, we made it and Dan was able to register for the race.  It seems that this has been such the annual event that folks just know what's happening.  We didn't.   I wish we'd known there was a 1/2 mile run for the kids.  I think they all would have liked to do that.  The children did have a lovely time climbing on everything they could.  (And yes, at 8:30am, it was warm enough for shorts.)

This was the 5 k line up.  Maybe 50 people were in it. It was a run straight out and back on the levee on gravel.  I thought that was a pretty good set up. No timing chips, but there weren't enough people to need them, and they did a good job with the timing.

Did I mention that the kids had a blast climbing all over everything?! 

Dan's glorious sprint to the finish.  He was beat out by 3 high school boys track stars, but not by much. So he was 4th overall, and 1st in his age category.  And he got Jambalaya after the race.  He didn't want it, but I made him get a bowl so I could eat it- yum!

Rylee wanted a picture of her balancing a water bottle on her head.  Funny-bunny! 

No medals for the grown ups, but all the placers got a bag-o-oranges!  Woohoo! 

Callie was quite excited about the oranges.  They are "Satsumas" which I'd never heard of but apparently that's what the festival was about!

Then there were kid races!  Delaney did the "Orange Run" which was a shuttle run type race-   you run out, grab an orange, put it in your bag, and run back for the next orange.   

She got a medal and got to keep her bag of oranges! 

While waiting for events, the girls scavenged by the river and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. 

 Joshua did the Orange Run as well and now we had MORE oranges!

 Callie rocked the sack race, coming in second, beat only by a giant 12 year old gal. Delaney also hopped and had fun.

Delaney really had a great time with the races.  It was so cute to see her try new things and find out that it was fun. 

They let Rylee enter the Egg and Spoon Race, which I thought would go badly for her. 

But Rylee was great and came in second place.... well, I confessed she'd been holding onto her egg with her other hand and she was quietly disqualified, which merely meant she got a medal and not a trophy.   

Marian refused to do any of the games, but she managed to keep herself quite entertained running around.  

After the games, there were lots of booths and vendors to wander through.  It was like a mini-fair with no animals and no judging.  Well, there might have been, but we didn't see it.  We paid large sums to eat funnel cake and shrimp on a stick and then let the kids do a few rides. The rides were cheaper than I expected.

To sum up, it was a fun morning.  The race was great, the kid games were fun, the carnival rides were not too pricey.  Would I drive an hour again just for the Festival?  No.  With the race, Yes.  We're actually planning on doing it again next year, and entering the kids in the 1/2 mile race!