Fall Break in Tennessee

Last week was our school's Fall Break, and our family headed to Tennessee for five days/ four nights of fun.  We squeezed a lot of activities into our short time away.  The next couple of posts will detail the various things that we did on our trip.

Garth Brooks

 Brian and I are not huge fans of country music, but we do like Garth Brooks.  We both had his CDs when we were young, and I even had his poster hanging in my closet.  Garth is on tour this year for the first time in over a decade, and Jacksonville is one of the tour stops- which is amazing in itself because most of the singers I'd like to see pass over Jacksonville and go to Orlando or Tampa instead.  When we realized that Garth was coming to Jacksonville, Brian and I knew that we'd like to go see him.  As it turns out, all of my sisters wanted to go too, so Cassie ordered tickets for all the sisters and their significant others.  Let me just say that this was without a doubt the BEST concert I've ever been to.  Garth was awesome.  He played all of the oldies and he had the crowd on fire all night.  We had seats on the side of the stage- third level, but I don't think that there was a bad seat in the entire house.  At one point he took a break and Trisha Yearwood came out and sang about four songs.  She was also very good.  I just cannot say enough about how good of a show Garth put on.  We didn't get home until after 1 a.m., and I was tired and hoarse the next day, but it was worth it.

Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon

This makes the fourth year that I have run the Jacksonville Marine Corps Half Marathon.  I went in with high hopes for a PR.  To begin with, it was my friend Darby's first half- so I was  in a good mood because I was excited for her (and she did great).  Also, the bridges that are usually on this course were having work done on them, so they were eliminated (making the course easier).  On top of all this, the weather was suppose to be more favorable than it has been the past two years.  Well, I did get a record- but not the kind I wanted.  I ran the worst half that I've ever had.  I mean worse by like 15 minutes.  I finished in 2:27:36.  Apparently I am not as in as good a shape as I thought.  This worries me a bit because I'm only a month out from a full marathon.  Should be interesting to see how that goes.  Even though I was disappointed with my time, I did have fun.  This is a great half, it's for a good cause, and the medals were very nice this year.

Olivia's 8th Birthday

Olivia's birthday usually falls during our school's Fall Break week, but this year it did not.  So, on the her actual birthday we proceeded with our usual routine and then took her out to eat in the evening.  On Saturday we continued to celebrate Olivia's 8th birthday by having our family over for pizza, cake, and ice cream.  Hannah made a super-cute "Hobbit" cake for Tolkien's #1 fan.  Olivia received many nice gifts.  Thank goodness she got some new clothes because a lot of her things from last year are too small for her now.  Olivia had a great birthday.

What Happens at Gigi's...

 I think that Hannah and I are enjoying my parents' retirement almost as much as they are.  We have found various ways to keep them busy.  One of the new "jobs" that my parents have assumed is watching the kids during staff-only days at school.  Last week I borrowed my mom's camera to download some pictures and found the evidence of what happens at Gigi and Papa's when the parents aren't around.  Here are some of my favorites.

Kids Triathlon

 The YMCA hosted a Kids Triathlon this year.  They did this once before a few years ago and Olivia participated (and loved it).  When we found out that they would be sponsoring another this year, we signed up immediately.  This tri has a really short course, and is a good way to introduce kids to the swim-bike-run format.

 The kids were divided by age, so Olivia and Ava were in the same heat.  They had to swim 25 meters, bike a half mile, and run a quarter mile.  The whole thing took very little time.  I was able to watch everything and still be back in the pool area when Owen and Claire's heat began.

Owen and Claire were in the youngest age division, so they were in the last group.  Owen had to complete the swimming portion with the help of his floaties- so he was one of the last ones out of the pool.

 Owen did well on his bike ride around the track...

 ...and he finished strong with the run.

All of the kids received a medal for completing the tri, and they all had a great time.

Dawgs and Noles

So football season has begun, and we truly have a house divided.  I am a Bulldog fan, and Brian is a die-hard for the Seminoles.  The kids have let their preferences be known.  Both teams are doing pretty well this year, so we're hoping that we all make it to the play-offs.

 Our favorite place to watch football is at Granny and Papa's house.  There is usually a good turn-out on game day.  Here is a picture of the crew from the first game of the season.