A good weekend for being green!!

 

 

 

I began my green weekend by planting my garden with lots of green plants!!  I have lettuce, kale, eggplant, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and some herbs.  I even used my mushroom compost and my own compost in my green attempt at gardening!  We will see what the garden produces this year!

 

Then on Sunday, after not even wearing green to church, I got in the green spirit with Camden and his friend.  We made a green cake which was very yummy! 

 

 

 

Since it was actually a white cake, we then made green eggs from the yokes.  Everyone tried them and said they tasted like eggs!

And I would eat them in a house and in the rain and on train! 

The green cake!

Of course the boys had to end up wrestling on our brown lawn that will hopefully soon be green :) 

Upwards firsts and lasts

This was an Upwards year that involved lots of firsts and lasts.  It was Nathan's last year of playing, and Camden's first.  It was the first year Nathan and I coached a team, and probably the last year I coach a 6 year old boys team!  The expression herding cats was used many times in describing our team!  It was a fun experience, even though I don't know how much I was actually able to teach the boys about basketball.  We had fun though!!

It was also the first year that Camden not only played, but wanted to keep playing.  His first t-ball experience involved asking to stop playing after the first game.  Since he wanted to play every basketball game, I think we have made progress in the sports area!  And he made 3 baskets!  And tried to rebound one time.  This is a big step from him hiding his head under his hands when the ball came toward him. 

 

 

The Upwards team! 

 

Nathan doing what he did best; enthusiastically handing out the stars at the end of the game.  The boys were so excited because of his description of why they got their stars.

 

 

 

 

And Nathan's last year was a great year for his basketball skills.  He and another boy on his team had great chemistry and made lots of awesome plays together.  Running, passing and shooting!  And they both were kind to players that had a hard time making shots. 

Nathan was very enthusiastic about his game as well...code word for aggressive :)

 

All in all, we had a good Upwards year.

Ladies' Night!!

I had a birthday party at the ATP gun shop in Summerville tonight!  Ladies' night involves training about guns and then being able to shoot  50 rounds into a pink target.  We also got a t-shirt.  It was exciting to think about doing, but nerve wracking when hanging out in the store waiting for our class to begin.  I was also a little nervous when loading the guns, but then had a good time shooting two kinds of guns.  I even got three shots in the middle of the target.  This was after lots of misses and head shots.  I even shot the earlobe so that it looked like an earring.   It was a fun time with fun friends.  Lots of laughs :)  Can't wait to head back up and fire off another few rounds!

 

Charlie's Angels!  My camo gun really is camoflauged in this picture!

                                       

Couldn't resist taking a picture of this!

 

My new t-shirt!

My favorite number is 42!

My favorite number is 42, and since I am now 42, I am sure this will be a great year!! So far, today has been very nice. Today, which really started Friday in terms of birthday activities, has been a very nice birthday. My parents came down Friday and we went out to dinner, followed by Charlotte's Web with Camden. Dave and Nathan left that night for an all night laser tag youth group activity. Due to this, Dave and Nathan were a little tired on Saturday! Upwards was our Saturday day, but that night, Dave and I went out to dinner and to see Les Miserables. About halfway through the movie, Dave had to leave because he was feeling sick. He was feeling the effects of being overly tired, however, he did admit that he thought there was too much singing :) Sunday was the Super Bowl, but Monday was the start of getting tons of Happy Birthday messages on Facebook and the phone and Facetime. My sister's family all sang Happy Birthday to me on my Ipad! It was a normal type day with Upwards practice for both boys, homework, and school, but I did get a run in. That always gets my endorphins pumping! Between practices, I got to eat at Taco Spot and get ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Dave and the boys let me go on a shopping trip to Kohls'. I bought a pan (I know, very boring), and a massage roller and ball. The last special thing I did today was to get a mani-pedi! I am going to go to the shooting range tomorrow night, so I figured I should get my nails done. I need as much help as I can get and looking better should at least, well, make my nails look better! And even though my feet aren't seen in February, they are now red for heart health!

So here is to 42!  I look forward to all that is ahead of me!

Thank you Halls!!

I have a cold or a sinus infection or allergies or laryngitis or maybe all of these! And I have had these symptoms since last Thursday. I try never to tempt the fates by saying I don't get sick, but since I am sick, I guess I can say that usually, I don't get sick very often. And my children don't get sick often. But this year, well, I had better never say that again!! Too many stomach bugs and coughs and runny noses to count. I even sent in more tissues to school with Nathan because he had used up all of his teachers' supply! So after persevering through all my obligations, like yelling at the basketball game on Saturday when I had no voice, I gave up and got an antibiotic Wednesday night. Not that that has helped too much. I really think it opened up my head and my insides are now pouring out. But in all of this ick, that had better be gone before my birthday!!, I have found comfort in one thing...the pithy sayings on the Halls cough drops. I mean, when you open up a cough drop and get to read "keep you chin up", "you got it in you" (and everyone is getting to hear all that is in you!), "inspire envy" (of what, my cough?), and "don't try harder, do harder", well it just makes me feel so much better!! I understand the nice sayings on the inside of Dove chocolates, but cough drops? I think someone at the Halls company has too much time on their hands. At least it is a private sector job that is secure though. Even if I don't care for the sayings, I do depend on the cough drops; and the strawberry flavor is actually pretty good. So thank you Halls, as I go unwrap a smile :)

Where is the fun?

 

Well. in case you didn't know, the fun is in Camden's room :)  Not today, though, poor guy.  He is home with the stomach bug and it is not fun.  But once he is over that, come on over to find some fun!!

Ready for another!!

It has been a day since I finished my second half marathon and I am still walking and even ready to do another!  It was actually more enjoyable than my first.  Maybe because I knew that I could finish and maybe because it was such a beautiful day to run.  Also, the Charleston Marathon committee did a great job with the set-up.  At the beginning, we were able to use real restrooms!  That is always nerve wracking for me; making sure I time my last potty break right so that I don't have to go again.  Yes, such details are important!  And if you were not fortunate enough to have your running partner's parents' car to sit in right beside the starting line, you could even wait inside Burke High School until ready to start. 

To me, there were enough people to make the race exciting, but not too many to make it miserable.  And this year the weather was perfect.  Not too cold and not too hot.  We began at Burke HS; made our way to the battery; ran down King Street; turned off somewhere onto Meeting St; ran through the old Navy base; through Riverfront Park; and finished near North Charleston HS.  All in all, there was a lot of awesome scenery and a few seedy areas to look at!  And lots of groups singing or playing drums, violins, etc.  A little party along the streets.  Plus one small hill!  Who knew there would be a hill in the route...good thing we have been training on the bridge!

Kelly and I started out at a slower than usual pace, but by the 3rd or 4th mile, we were at a 10 minute mile average pace.  We stayed together until about mile 7.  I slowed a little, then she sped up.  I tried to keep her in my sites, but that didn't last for long.  I was still on a 10 minute mile pace until around mile 10.  Going into Riverfront Park and mile 11, I was feeling good and had decided to try to speed up a little and get back to the 10 min/mile average.  I was doing good and passed the 11 mile sign when my left knee rebelled!  My right knee is usually the one that bothers me, so I wasn't happy about the other one hurting.  And of course my right one wasn't feeling the best either.  I kind of thought I might have to stop and walk; but instead I stopped, stretched, and kept on going.  Just not at the faster pace.  I had been thinking I was going to finish 4 minutes faster than my first half 4 years ago, but in the end, I only shaved 2 minutes off.  Two hours and 16 minutes and 31 seconds!  Actually I had only thought it was a minute when I finished (I forgot to stop my timer right away!), but my registered time showed 2 minutes.  I was sort of excited when I found that out.  I guess having a faster running partner helped me in the end!

That day Dave prescribed four Advil, along with my caramel pie, and my knees felt better.  Today, on Sunday, I only took two, and it was for my right knee only.  I thought that was progress!  So other than my bum knees, I am ready to do it again!  I just hope I get another PERFECT day for a run!

Oh, and I havn't received the pictures yet that Kelly's mom was taking.  I will have to post those in the future!