Marching Band

This past weekend was the final marching band competition of the season. It is hosted by Ankeny so they did not actually compete, but performed as an exhibition anyway.

It's hard to believe how quickly they grow.


My senior - Johnathan


Andrew - sophomore

Finished!

I MADE IT!!!

It was a long cold run, but it was a lot of fun. Things were very hectic and packed in at the beginning, but it really thinned out at the two mile point. That is where the half marathon people made a left turn and we got to go forward, right up that fun hill that I was looking at on the maps ahead of time. I was thinking, not only do they only have to run half, but they don't have to run this hill either.

The next few miles felt pretty good, although I wasn't too excited about the fact that I could see my breathe for the first ten miles.

At the half way point I saw another surprise. There were Gatorade and water tables every few miles. However, just past the halfway point, there was a cocktail table. Yes, that's right. It was pretty much a full bar complete with anything you wanted. I didn't stop, and I didn't see anyone else putting in their orders either. Although there was one person that stopped just to see if it was real or not.

At fifteen miles, I thought to myself... "Well, that's two laps around Zorinsky, time to start the third". The funny thing was that about that point, we hit the trails and circled a couple of lakes in the area, so I felt right at home. The sun finally came out and the weather started getting a little nicer. However, being on trails and in the trees, we didn't get to enjoy the sun for too long.

There were people lining the path almost the entire course, bands, and musicians pretty much for the full thing. My favorite sign along the way was one that said "If was easy, I would do it". Bottom line, the spectators were great, and I had a great race.

I was pretty sore by the time I finished, but I finished. I had said I wanted to make 4:30, but would be happy if I came in under 5:00. I finished right in the middle of the two, so I can't complain with that. Having Lindsey there at the finish line was great. It really meant a lot to me that she would come all the way to Des Moines to watch me. It was the perfect ending to a great race.

The Countdown - 48 hours

Okay, I'm starting to get a little nervous at this point. Two days from now, at this time, I will be just getting started on the marathon. I had thought I was ready but I've been sick for about the last week or so, and I haven't ran at all since last Saturday. Hopefully, I will be able to get over being sick, and all of the training that I did prior to that will be enough to get me through it. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

On the plus side, the weather looks like it is actually going to be halfway decent. Dry, partly cloudy, and a high of 58. With the recent weather we have been having, I don't think I could ask for anything better than what's in the forecast. Let's just hope their actually right this time!

Emmy

I don't normally post much information about Michelle. However, I am feeling quite frustrated at the moment and thought I would share the cause of my frustrations.

Last night I called her at 9:30 and asked if the kids were still up. She said that they were already in bed. However, I heard Em in the background, so I asked if I could talk to her and say goodnight. Michelle absolutely refused to let me talk to her saying how Em had already been told to go to bed and that my calling was a disruption and went against what she had already been told. I tried to say that I just wanted to tell her goodnight, and that I would even tell her she needed to listen to her mom and go to bed. However, she still adamantly refused to allow me to do this.

I also asked if Carter was still awake and if I could tell him goodnight. Of course, she said he was already asleep. Then later, when she called me back to yell at me telling me how I should never call to talk to them that late, I hear Carter in the background asking for a glass of water.

It just gets to me sometimes. What's the big deal with letting me talk to them just to say goodnight. Eventually, with her yelling at me, both kids were aware that I was on the phone. So I think she got a little pressure from that side, and I did end up getting to tell them goodnight.

I just find it utterly ridiculous that she would be so childish about such things. I think overall I have been handling not being able to see them regularly pretty well. However, it is difficult not being allowed to even talk to them when feeling those sentimental moments and just wanting to be able to reach out and at least hear their sweet little voices and say goodnight.

The Countdown - 9 days

The Des Moines marathon is one week from this Sunday, and there is snow in the forecast for tomorrow!?! What the heck is up with that? I guess the chances of getting to run in ideal conditions are slipping away. Oh well, at this point, I just want to run it and be done. I need to get back to a normal routine, and it's simply getting too cold to be running outside on a regular basis anyway.

Even with the cold weather, I am still excited. I love the fact that Lindsey will be coming to Des Moines to cheer me on. We will go downtown on Saturday to pick up my race packet, and I will get to show her around a little bit. I can't think of a better way to spend the day before the race.

Pictures

I had some fun taking pictures over the weekend, and thought I would share some of the better ones.


It's hard to get him to stand still and actually give a normal smile instead of his classic grin.


Getting both of them to look at me at the same time is always a challenge. Especially when they are both just wanting to run and play.


Em was more interested in the little baby frog that was sitting on a nearby rock.


She was having fun climbing on the railings and trying to find some ducks.


Carter is always happy to pose and smile for a picture.

It was a beautiful day, and we got some nice pictures, but the best part was being able to spend the time with them and enjoy their smiles while they enjoyed the weather.

First Haircut

It was time, and she was ready and pretty happy about the whole thing...


It was just a trim, but being as she had never had one, it meant taking a few inches off. She sat and did everything exactly as directed.


Her hair is still pretty long, and now looks much healthier than it did. She is such a little princess.


And of course, we had to finish off with a lollipop.