Tropical Sno with Shawn Johnson

Last night the family and I had a surprise encounter on a fun summer evening. Max had his 2nd night of t-ball at the park near our house. Its his first "organized" activity so it has been exciting for us to see him in that setting.

We rode our bikes to the park and planned on heading to Tropical Sno afterward. Guess who was out for a run and stopped by this snow cone stand for a drink? The girls recognized Shawn at once and their much anticipated snow cones were momentarily forgotten as they stood agape at her. I had my camera with me because of Max's baseball practice and debate weather or not to bother the poor girl who probably can't go anywhere in town without being asked.

Shawn was happy to oblige. Can you believe this girl?! The heat index was 104 degrees yesterday at 7 pm, she is returning from a run and still looks fantastic!

Mother Daughter Book Club: A Success!

I love to read. I love my kids. We both love being around other wonderful moms and kids. Last year, I had the idea of starting a mother/daughter book club. I did minimal research on it, but mostly just envisioned moms and daughters gathering once a month, reading and discussing some of the beloved classics.

To make the club personable, each mother/daughter duo selected a book for their month, hosted it at their house and was responsible for discussion/games/activities and the all-important snack!

Man, did these moms and daughters ever know how to plan a good time! There was lots of sharing, learning and laughter. I loved watching the girls spanning 6-11 years of age interact and have so much fun!

Here is a list of the books we read for the 2009/2010 school year.

Mother Daughter Book Club

Title	Author
1st Year - 2009-2010
Ramona Quimby, Age 8	Beverly Cleary
Clementine	Sara Pennypacker
My Father’s Dragon	Ruth Stiles Gannett
The World According to Humphrey	Betty Birney
Pippi Longstocking	Astrid Lindgren
Marley and Me	John Grogan
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy	Jeanne Birdsall
Little Women	Louisa May Alcott

Please contact me if you want any additional games/activities/crafts or ideas to go along with these books. There were some amazing things done! We will be starting our 2010-2011 year in September. List of books to come!

A Mini Vacay in our own City!

My parents celebrated their 40th anniversary over the past weekend. They are two of the kindest and generous people I know and all they wanted was to spend it with their kids and grandkids. That is so thoughtful and makes me feel somewhat guilty as just Dave and I jet off to Jamaica in a month to celebrate our anniversary. Maybe that's what an extra 30 years does?!

Several options came into thought for this mini vacay. Branson? Too far for just a weekend. Honey Creek Resort? Been there. Loved it, but booked (it was Father's Day weekend after all).

Turns out we had a perfect fun filled weekend right in our own town. Sometimes those are really are the best!

Two nights at Adventureland Resort. 3 pools, water slides, and a swim up bar. Fun filled times at Adventureland, Big Steer Steakhouse, and horse racing at Prairie Meadows.

Congratulations and thank you for such a memorable celebration, Mom and Dad!

40 Years of Marriage! Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

I think my mom summed it up perfectly a few weeks ago when I was talking with her on the phone. It my wedding anniversary and she was congratulating Dave and I on our 11 years together.

11 years?! How could that be possible?! I thought about how much Dave and I had seen, done and experienced with our family over 11 years. It is amazing to me.

"But 40 years?" I told my mom. "That is truly incredible!"

"Your father has been a part of my life for more years then he hasn't."

That is so true for over 2/3 of their lives, they have been together. They do know more together then apart.

It is such an inspiration and a blessing. I am so proud of them! Here is how we celebrated!

Time to Celebrate!

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But first, a hot shower!

Then Gateway Market for brunch! Its our tradition to go there after races. We had planned a late lunch or dinner, but since I had finished so much earlier then planned, why not try out their breakfast?! Mmmm...breakfast burritos, french toast, hot coffee! It was a perfect choice!



After our stomachs were filled, it was still raining so we headed home to read the Sunday paper, relax and watch a movie. It was only 10 AM, but felt like 5 PM. After awhile it cleared off to a beautiful day so we headed to the Picket Fence Creamery where daily they make their own ice cream. We got brownie sundaes there and a quart of strawberry to go. Its made with their homegrown strawberries. Yum! Did I mention another favorite part of races? I bascially just eat my way through the day without thought.

I still had so much energy (the race had been shortened after all!) so I took Megan and Lucy back to the Hy-Vee Triathlon to watch the elites from all over the world compete for $200,000. It was so much fun and very exciting! Can you imagine doing that for a living?

To cap off a very long, eventful and fun day. That night I went to a tri party with others I had trained with for the past several months.

Its over. Done. Put to rest! Hello Summer!

A Thunderous End

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I had finished the triathlon with about 15 minutes before the downpour. Of course at that moment I didn't know it was really going to pour. If I did, I might have done things differently. I had spotted my family on the run portion so knew it would take them awhile to make it over to the finish line. It seemed like a perfect time to chat with others, grab some food and catch my breath.

Then came the flooding rain. Sure it had been brewing for several hours, but I really thought I had time. I was just basking in the glow of finishing and really didn't want to be thinking about what to do next. I borrowed a cell phone from someone in a shelter house that I had beelined for and checked in with the family. Thank goodness they had made it into the park and were also in a shelter house...across the park.

We waited. It poured. We waited. It poured. After an hour, it let up somewhat and I dashed for the transition area to get my bike and all that gear. Everything had been left out on my transition towel and was soaked. I furiously tried to jam everything back into my back pack. But the rain seemed to have expanded my biking shoes, helmet, wetsuit...and it wouldn't quite fit.

Then there was the grill cover. The grill cover that the night before I had lavishly covered my bike with. Oh, I had been so proud of this ingenuity! My bike wouldn't be sitting out in the rain all night like thousands of others, oh no...I had brought the family grill cover.

Did it end up raining that night? No.

Have you ever tried to ride your bike with a 30 lbs of sopping wet backpack and an absolutely drenched, bulky and mammoth grill cover? I wanted to leave it. I had, after all, abandoned the now 15 pound tri towel. I couldn't do it. My husband had been so generous to offer the family grill cover. I had to take it. Did I mention it had begun pouring again?

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The Best Part of Racing

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There are a couple of reasons why I race and do events. First, I love having a goal and something to work toward. It helps streamline and structure my workouts and definitely provides the motivation for getting up early.



Secondly, I love love love the feeling when they are over! Its the feeling of accomplishment and pride that is addicting. It doesn't matter the distance or the event, I love that "crossing the finish line" feeling. My family is right there with me on this and after the Hy-Vee Triathlon, the rain did not stop us from having a fun filled day!




Heading home from the race with the kids, "Big Brother Bikey" as they call him and their brand new yellow Hy-Vee shirts (as the race officials thought) "they looked cold."

They weren't cold! Kids love rain, they got to ride around in a golf cart at the race with a volunteer and they got new shirts! Their smiles were enormous when I finally saw them. Life doesn't get any better!

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