Family weekend: Lake house edition

With summer sadly coming to a close and the school year/fall quick upon us, I was glad to take a long weekend away with my family at our lake house this past weekend. The whole crew came, minus my cool aunt, and we couldn't have had a better time.

We all arrived on Friday and immediate got in the boat to warm up our tubing skills and dare the driver to flip us off. 

Uncle Scott and my mom are the two best drivers of the group. Want to die on a tube? Just put them behind the wheel. 

Even though it rained a little bit each day, that gave us a good excuse to come inside, stuff our faces, and play countless rounds of cards. Seriously, you must learn to shuffle and play cards to be apart of this family. We'll play any card game, but we're partial to Spades and Hearts. 

I'm pretty sure Scott and I won that round, hence his proud presentation of his hand.

We did some fishing without success and attempted to teach Jaden how to ski. It was an all around good time. 

And the last day, with the rain clouds finally away, we decided to get in some last minute skiing and kneeboarding. We threw on swimsuits, said "no" to wallets, shoes, water, and sunscreen and jumped in the boat. As, you know, we were only going to be gone for an hour or so...famous last words. 

Several miles away from the house, with Drake epically skiing, the boat came to a sputtering stop. With multiple attempts and tries, we officially diagnosed the boat as dead. Stranded, we did the only thing we thought to do... pull it ourselves. 

They all three are pulling the boat with ropes. After 20 minutes, we may have gone 300 yards.

But luckily, some good Samaritans with bottled water came and towed us to the nearest ramp where the  rest of the family came to pick us up. Great way to end the weekend. 

"Hey guys, turn around and smile so I can take a pictures of the guy towing us!"

I seriously can't wait to go back. Here's to another weekend of family bonding! 

Sister Sister

This past weekend I was blessed to spend time with my oh-so cool little sister. Even though I'm sure she has never watched an episode of Sister Sister, or any other 90's staple, she is still pretty rad. 

At the Women Razorback Soccer game.

You know how they say kids of this recent generation act spoiled, entitled, and only care about TV and iPads? Well, this little squirt is none of the above. She is selfless, sweet, and woke up at 7 Saturday morning to read. Basically, she is just like her big sister.

Playing an educational game of Quelf.

We spent the weekend cold, wet, and wind burnt. I thought I was miserable in the 45 degree rain, but poor Jaden was out playing soccer in it. Good thing she is young and resilient. 

Perfect soccer weather.

Warming up between games with hot chocolate and books!

As I live 3 hours away, we rarely get to spend quality time together. I wish I could watch all of her soccer games. I wish I could pick her up from school and get ice cream every day. I wish we had our own little secrets and traditions. But more than anything, I just wish I could be around more to pass on all the things I have learned in my 27 years of living. 

So I've compiled an ever-growing list of things I wish I knew during my pre-teen and teens years (you know, because I am so wise and knowledgable now) in hopes that she doesn't make quite as many mistakes as I did. 

Don't worry about the style of your clothes. 

No matter what, you will look back and hate it.

It is okay to have boyfriends (when you're much older, of course) but make your friends more important.

Your friends are probably cooler anyway. 

Don't be afraid to fail. Try everything. 

Sports. Art. Music. Drama. Quiz Bowl. Whatever.

When you're a kid you can fail at everything and no one really cares.

It only matters that you're trying and having fun.

The adult world doesn't work that way.

Don't dumb yourself down. 

You're smart and talented.

Be proud of that.

School can be hard. Kids can be mean. It's life.

While you're trying so hard to be like other people, they are trying to be like you. 

Mom and Dad will annoy you and make you mad. 

Their rules can seem unfair and stupid.

But give them a break- I had the same rules and look how cool I turned out.

Remember that you will have a little niece looking up to you. 

And you're going to be the best aunt ever.

Weekend Monotony

Lately, when I talk to my friends and family from my home town, the first thing I am asked is "What have you been up to?" Although I understand the reasoning behind the question (and I always ask the question back), I hate answering. I don't enjoy answering the question because it makes my life seem dull and monotonous.

The response is usually something like "Oh, you know, same old stuff: working and running."

While that may seem rather boring to some people, I actually find my day-to-day life 100% enjoyable and packed with things I love.

This weekend was no different.

Friday I went out to eat with coworkers for a much needed evening of relaxation and laughter. After having a semi-stressful work week, it was nice to have fun with people I truly enjoy working with.

The best therapists in NWA fighting over a huge bowl of perfected quacalome

My Saturday looked like the same Saturday I have had for the past 12 weeks. I had a relaxing morning and a hardy breakfast, then completed my long run of 17 miles. This is hands down the longest I've ever run. Luckily, Josh ran the first 8 miles with me; the last 9 miles I tackled solo.

And while your running around Fayetteville for 17 miles, you might as well run errands while your out.

Hello massive-looking arm and tiny-sweaty head.

Our Redbox drop off is only 2.3 miles away. Having a purpose for the run made it feel a little different. Problem was, I didn't have quite the mission the other 14.7 miles.

But it was a successful long run nonetheless: total time- 3:04 with an average pace of 10:48. Not speedy, but I'll take it. One thing I've learned about marathon training is that I can't worry about my time. As this is my first marathon, my primary goal is just to get it done. So if I have to skip, hop, or crawl all 26.2 miles I will. And if it takes me 6 hours to complete, awesome. I just want to finish!


On Sunday, after church, Josh and I spent some quality time together grocery shopping and cleaning- oh so romantic.

Josh looking quite dashing. 

Sorry that I posted this honey. Wait, no I'm not.

Later in the day we kicked off the first meeting of the semester for our community group. We are starting a study called Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll. We are really excited about this study and what God has planned for our marriage. I'm also super pumped about getting to know the other couples in the group. There is something so special about getting together with other believers to encourage and support one another.

So, while my weekends may have the same theme over and over again, I wouldn't choose to spend them any other way. I love the consistency in my life!

What did you do this weekend? Do you find your weekends consist of the same activities? Do you love it or do you desire some more spontaneity? 

Tri for the Roses Race Recap

Well, despite angst and doubt I completed my first sprint triathlon. And, bonus points, I far surpassed my goals- I finished 4th in my age group and 9th overall! In spite of my training being lack-luster and my run-throughs being less than impressive, I was able to push myself harder than I realized I could (kind of like I did during the Route 66 half marathon)- shows that racing is a very mental sport!

The night before, I eased my fears by doing what I do best- organize! Who knew you needed so much for a triathlon?! My bag contained: big and small towels (I was unsure if they provided something to dry off with, which they did), flip-flops, shoes, socks, a change of clothes, race outfit, water bottle, head band, goggles, watch, and ipod. Whew! Thats a lot.

 A quick shot before heading out that morning, nerves at their highest! Bag packed and ready to go!

Josh, being the wonderful husband that he is, volunteered to be my official groupie- taking pictures, lugging around my bag, and cheering as loudly as he could. However, I'm not a fan of this creeper photo- here I am walking into the fitness center. The triathlon was all indoors, which was awesome because it reached the upper 90s today! Racing in a 70 degree air conditioned room does wonders for your time.

Like any other race, first thing I did was pick up my packet. I was given a bib to pin on my shirt for the bike and run; you are also body marked with your number for the swim. #10 rocks!

We went in waves of 7 due to number of lanes and stationary bikes; I was in the second wave which started at 8:05. During the swim, I tried to remind myself not to hyperventilate and go too fast at the beginning. 

I felt like I paced myself well; my legs and arms didn't get tired but my lungs sure did! For me, swimming is so hard because you can't breath continuously like you can when running or biking; you have to condition your lungs to breath in a completely different way!

I finished my swim leg in 5:43, smashing my run-through times! Next, I ran to the transition area where I had my shirt, socks, shoes, and ipod waiting for me.

I hopped on the bike and began peddling as I got dressed- I had watched the first wave do this and it saved some major time during transition. I only had to bike 6 miles and I pushed myself hard.

The biking leg is where I did much better than I thought I would, knocking over 4 minutes off my run-through time and finishing in 20:27. Having someone peddling furiously next to me brought out a competitor-side of me that I never knew I had.

Before I knew it, I was off the bike and running laps around the track, 28 laps to be exact. Yea, I felt like a hamster running in so many circles. My trick was to choose a girl ahead of me and try to 'pick' them off one by one- very effective! It caused me to finish in 18:52, with an average pace of 9:26.

The person who was recording my laps finally signaled I was on my last lap and pointed me towards the finish. Victory!

My final race statistics:
Swim: 5:43 (initial goal-under 6min)
Bike: 20:27 (initial goal-21min)
Run: 18:52 (initial goal-under 18min)
Transition times: 1:23
Total: 46:25

Looks like I ended up being pretty close to my original plan! And look, a finisher's rose- my kind of race!

The top three in each age group, plus overall finisher, received a beautiful bouquet of roses. Sadly, I was a mere 1min,40sec from being in the top three of my devision. At least I have a new goal for next year!

And the best part about the day? My dad and brother came up to support me! Now that I think about it, they could have possibly been the key to me reaching my goals.

My muscles are super sore-I'll make sure and get good stretching in today and tomorrow.

And I think I might check out more spring triathlons- I feel so confident now! This may be my new obsession...exciting!

Carefree Cruising

Hello world!

I've been absent from the internet world for over a week and absent from blogging for much much longer (about 24 days, but who's counting?) And to be honest, I haven't missed it near as much as I thought I would.

But let me back up and apologize for my unintentional posting hiatus. My life has been rather monotonous and my creative juices have been lacking. To my handful of readers, I promise to post more...maybe.

As for recent news (and the reason I had zero internet access for a week), I have been cruising around the Western Caribbean for the past 8 days. And by "I" I mean me, Josh, and 10 members of my family.

Best. Time. Ever.

I know I've mentioned it before, but spending time with my family is the most precious thing to me. I love making memories that will last a life time and creating stories that will be told through generations. And on this trip we made enough of both to keep us laughing for years.

The Boys in Costa Maya. We went speed boating and Reid (second on the left) can't dock a boat if his life depended on it.

 Zip-lining in Belize. Imagine the little men on the final platform as they must stop my 6'3" cousin (Drake, top right) zipping towards them at an ungodly speed. Fear.

 My goofy husband in Roatan. Two words: Yard-Long Beverages

 My cool-cat cousins in Cozumel. They are so grown up!

 Toasting with the champagne we won from the Newlywed Game. Yes, we were on the Newlywed Game and yes we won...because we are cool like that. Not only did we win, but we competed against the "Not-So-Newlyweds" who happened to be my grandparents. Let's just say that we now all know a little too much about each other's 'personal' lives. Ew.

We ate the entire time. No lie. If I didn't feel full, I was stuffing my face. Here is the night were the adults left before dessert was served, so us 'kids' had to eat all 12 desserts. Do not challenge us. We will dominate.

The memories and fun were all made possible by my wonderful grandparents. Thank you Meme & Pops!!!! Our family is blessed to have such amazing Christian examples.

And when we returned home on Sunday to 40 degree weather, I was not happy to be back. But alas, the real world must go on. I will just close my eyes and pretend I still hear the waves....