Fourth of July

 The kids and I had a pleasant July 4th.  The kids had spent the night with Gigi and Papa on the 3rd so that I could run the Peachtree in Atlanta.  After the race, I drove back to Blackshear.  Gigi had cooked a delicious lunch-which included steaks (grilled by my dad) and boiled peanuts.  Later in the afternoon, Granny Mel came to visit us.  We didn't know if there would be fireworks or not because the weather had been bad all afternoon.  Luckily, the rain cleared up in time for the show.  

Peachtree Road Race

Participating in the Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July is quickly becoming one of my favorite yearly activities. This is the largest road race in the U.S.  Cassie, Quincy, and I entered the lottery this year, and we were excited to be chosen.  The plan was for me to go up to Atlanta early on the day before the race to pick up our race numbers.  Quincy had to work on the third, so she was going to come up later.  Although this plan sounded good when we made it, it didn't work out quite as we had hoped.  To begin with, my car started having issues about an hour before I had to leave.  I ended up having to rent the only car left at Enterprise (a Chevy Silverado extended cab) just so I could make it to Atlanta in time to pick up our packets.  Then, the forecast was showing that there would be heavy rain on the morning of the Fourth- meaning that the race could be cancelled or delayed.  Because of her late start in driving to Atlanta and the uncertainty of whether or not the race would take place, Quincy decided not to come.  This left Cassie and I as the only two racers this year.  We still had a great time.  We went to the expo and checked out all of the running merchandise.  I picked up several free samples of different items as well as a few brochures for upcoming running events.  I also purchased an armband for my iphone and 26.2 sticker for my car.  After leaving the expo, we went to eat at Pasta Vino.  We also needed to make a trip to Target to try and "rain-proof" ourselves.  We were planning to buy disposable rain ponchos, but they were sold out.  Apparently everyone else had the same idea that we had.  We ended up having to improvise.  Cassie decided to wear a raincoat.  I didn't bring one, so I created an outfit out of trash bags to wear over my clothes.  It was only sprinkling when we left Cassie's apartment, so I ended up just wearing my "trash-bag jacket"- which I discarded at the start line because it had stopped sprinkling by then.  The weather turned out to be better then expected.  It didn't rain, but it was overcast with 100% humidity.  I thought that I would do better than usual because it wasn't hot.  I was wrong.  I actually finished with the worst time I've ever had for this race- 59.12.  At least it was under an hour.  Even though the weather was iffy and the fan support was light this year (due to weather), it was still a great race.

St. Mary's Aquatic Center

Last week Gigi treated all of her grandkids to a fun day at the St. Mary's Aquatic Center.  This park is perfect for young kids.  The first thing that we did was to go to the splash-play area.  This was one of those play-sets that has the bucket that fills with water and then dumps out on everyone.  The play area had a couple of smallish slides and various wheels and levers that let you dump water on other people.  The kids had a great time here.  Even Julianna found a slide that she liked and went down it many, many times.

Another favorite feature of the park was the lazy river.  I really liked this lazy river because it was big without being too big.  I could stand on the side of the river and watch the kids as they went around (and see them the whole time) without having to get in myself.  We let the girls go around the river all by themselves.  They thought that they were big stuff because they didn't have an adult with them.  Of course we had eyes on them the entire time, but still we weren't "with them" which made a huge difference in their minds.  

 There is only one large slide at the park- the "Orange Crush".  You have to be 48 inches to ride.  They had a measuring stick at the entrance to the park and we sized the kids up before entering.  Claire was the only one who was definitely tall enough.  Ava looked to be right at the line, and Olivia seemed to be about half an inch too short.  Owen was no where near tall enough.  Well, Claire was not interested in going down the large slide, but the two shorter girls were.  Ava went up first, got measured, and came down the slide.  Olivia saw this and wanted to try too.  I let her try- even though I had a bad feeling that the lifeguard would turn her away once she reached the top of the tower.  I saw her climb, get measured, and then come down the slide.  She loved it, and I was relieved that she didn't get turned away.  Hannah and I stood there and watched the girls go down the slide several times- then Hannah got the bright idea that we should go down ourselves.  We did- and it was a little spooky- totally dark all the way down.

While the girls were going around the lazy river and down the waters slide, Owen kept busy by playing with the shuffleboard set.  Julianna also thought that this was big fun.  We were at the park for several hours, and had a great time.  We will definitely be back.

Braving the Heat

Quincy and I have been braving the summer heat by continuing to run in two 5K events.  Race 1:  Miles for Mattie.  Time:  27.12 (place 3rd in age group).  This race benefited a young girl in our community who is battling cancer.    There was a large turnout.  It made me proud that the local community rallies around such a great cause.  This race was special also because Miss Mattie herself started the runners, and she completed the one mile fun run.  It was very moving.

Race 2:  Spirit of Liberty.  Time:  29.41.  Let me say first that they changed the course this year and the mileage ended up being 3.4 instead of 3.1.  I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it kind of is when you are running hard and in the heat.  Nevertheless, we finished and Quincy and I both won first in our age groups.  Next up:  Peachtree Road Race!!

The Sound of Music

 It has become a tradition for us to join Melanie in Valdosta for the children's performance of the Peach State Summer Theater Series.  This year, however, there was no children's show in the line-up.  The closest thing to a children's show was The Sound of Music, so we decided to go see that.  We met up with Granny Mel for a nice lunch before the play.  We asked the kids where they wanted to eat and they all said Chic-Fil-A.  After vetoing that choice, we decided on Olive Garden.

The show was really, really good.  The actress that played Maria is going to go places- mark my word.  Even though it wasn't a "kid's show" per se, our kids loved it.  They were captivated the whole time.  The kiss between Maria and Captain Von Trapp especially got their attention.  Owen looked at me and gave me the "ewww" face when that part happened.  Judging by the choruses of  "doe, a dear, a female dear..." that I have been hearing off and on around the house this week, I'd say that the play definitely left an impression.

God's Backyard Bible Camp

Our church held its annual Bible school in early June.  The theme was "God's Backyard Bible Camp".  I really liked the program that we used this year because it stressed service.  During the week, the students made items for the local nursing home, decorated pillowcases for abused children, and created home-made detergent for a local facility for the handicapped.  They also learned a lot about people who served others in the Bible.  I helped with the games station.  I always like being at this station because it has the most energy.  The kids all seemed to like the games we played this year.  Owen, Olivia, and all of their cousins (except Julianna) had a lot of fun.  Olivia was chosen to be one of the song leaders.  That means she got to stand on the stage during song time and lead the others in the motions.  She was right in her element on stage- definitely not shy.  Here are a few pictures that I took during the week.

Air Mobility Command

It's been a few years since we've visited the Air Mobility Command Museum, so we decided to drop by while in Delaware.  This is such a neat place to spend an afternoon.  The kids enjoyed checking out the planes and exhibits.  

 The little yellow plane is always a favorite- even though Olivia is getting so big that she can barely squeeze into it anymore.

...And the kids are entering the phase where they like to strike crazy poses for pictures.  There was lots of opportunity for this here.