One Hundred Miles!

A friend of mine sent out a challenge to see who would run / walk / jog 100 miles in the month of July. I knew it would be a challenge-- I've done it before. It was hard then and it was just as hard now! But I finished strong and I'm happy I did it. Most of it was running/jogging and some of it was walking. My hips definitely know I've gone the hundred miles! 




Do you like my color chart? It shows how many miles I went each day I ran! 

One Day, Nine Years Ago...

Audra was born! Okay, so this isn't a super little baby picture of her, but we didn't have a digital camera yet, back then!! 
The night before she was born we had dinner with some good friends and I knew I wasn't feeling quite right. They suggested Payton stay the night while we went to the hospital. On our way there we got stuck in a line for a SOBRIETY CHECK POINT!!! Seriously. At that point I was having contractions. When they realized where we were going, they radioed ahead and got the traffic moving through a little more quickly for us. 
Audra was born at around 2am. I couldn't sleep hardly at all that night-- just staring at the sweet little girl in my arms...

And now here she is! Already 9 years old. She hasn't lost any spunk-- in fact I'd say she's only gaining it as she gets older! 





For her 9th Birthday we invited a few friends over and had fun doing something that girls love to do:  

Crafts!!! (specifically this one)
 

This is a picture of their flower circles drying after a coat of mod podge...We had to get creative as to how we could let them dry. 

Next came the painting...

It was fun to listen in on their talk while they worked. 

And this is the end product. I was pleased with how well they turned out! 


 We ended up running out of time for the other craft ideas. I wanted to be sure we had enough time for...



 
 ...the jump rope game. The girls jumped rope 6 times holding a cup of water. The idea was to be the first team to fill up the cups I was holding.

It did not look easy-- jumping and keeping the water from splashing out! 

Next on our list was a water balloon toss / fight. 

It quickly turned into a water fight. Which was fine because the pool was the next place these girls were supposed to be!

I love how Audra's choice of friends included girls from the neighborhood, church and also school. They were a fun bunch! 

Our last game was to see how many balloons they could hold down underneath the water at one time. They decided two was doable, and three was impossible. 

And I guess what pool party would be complete without the hand stand? So here it is. Makes me want to hold my breath just looking at them!

{ speeding through life...}

No time for any of this lately...

 

We've had a week of this going on...

My sweetie is on the left...

One of my favorite ladies at church!

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" -Heb 12:1

 

Presenting the gospel...

Look at how high she got crossing the river! That's my girl!

What an enthusiastic group of kids!

Morning singing..."Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous...wherever you may go." -Joshua 1:9

Our group of kids was just over 100!   For all those kids we needed...

A lot of help! What a fun week. 

This week is a little bit slower...but someone has a birthday coming up...

{ Lessons in the Pool }

While the boys have been busy riding their bicycles all over creation I did manage to keep the girls moving also...

One of our favorite people taught the lessons. Chloe learned about putting her face in the water and making sure to hold her breath. She loved to challenge herself to stay underwater a long time. 

Ring Around the Rosie, pool style! 

It wasn't all play-- look at those Big Arms coming out of the water! 

Audra got to have her lesson with a friend. This was nice because they would encourage each other and also challenge each other...

...alll the way across the pool! 

Audra's friend has a sister Chloe's age-- these two had a blast in the shallow end while their sisters worked out in the pool. 

--really, they did do a lot of swimming laps. But I guess they had time for some play also! 

"hakuna ma tater tot!" 

-the girls would yell silly things as they cannon balled into the pool :)  






A little more relaxing than riding for 40+ miles on a bike, but a work out nonetheless. 
We're back from a little vacation now, and I guess it is time to get back in the swing of things. 


 

{ Oh the Places They'll Go... }

...on their bicycles! Have you heard what these guys are doing? They are planning a bike trip

200 miles long! 

Can you say "sore tush"? 

Before heading off on their long adventure, they wanted to test their gear and also their *ability to carry their gear while riding*...




Here they are riding up the Santa Fe Dam. 

It seems that each time they get back from a ride they have another story to add to their experiences. This ride was no exception.

Their destination for this ride was the backyard of a friend. The route they took to get there brought them to the Northern most end of the San Gabriel River Trail. 

Here they spent the night and then got up to head home the next day.

They did have some beautiful views along the way...

...and they got hungry.  This is at one of their water stops. Notice the bikes behind the boys. Aren't they dedicated?! They were loaded down! 

And since their legs didn't hurt enough yet, they decided to get all the way to the South end of the San Gabriel River Trail. This did add a little extra distance they weren't planning on originally.

But as you can see, their extra miles paid off as once again they had great scenery! This lighthouse is in the Long Beach harbor, near the Queen Mary. 

What are they looking at??
Oh!  They're using their hand signals, as they should be.

Good boys.








(By the way, they are near one of my favorite yarn shops, in this picture!)

Here they are-- nearly home. 
All in all, in those two days my boys rode 
100 miles! 



That's pretty cool.

Another picture? Yes! Their training isn't over yet. And I thought this bridge was definitely worth showing. Kinda makes me want to tag along on one of these rides.

I guess I have to work on getting another new bike. 


Happy Riding to you! 

{ Story of a bicycle }

Last week Monday-- exactly 1 week ago today-- I got a new bike! I haven't owned a bike since...junior high or early high school. 

Love the color-- a nice shade of blue with just a little sparkle. The first ride I took it on was with Eric the next morning to Starbucks where we sat for a while, enjoying the quiet!

This morning I had a chiropractor appointment. I thought "I'll ride my bike, it isn't too far."  


This is what I found when I was done with the appointment. 

Can you see what someone did? 

 
So I made a report. 

Yes, I'm pretty bummed about the bike being gone...and the fact that the charge for it hasn't even been paid for on the credit card yet...


ugh.