Survival of the Unfit

It seemed like a great idea at the time. 12 weeks to train for a half marathon, beat the winter blues, and get "in shape". The only shape I'm in today is pathetic. I must admit that I seemed to have faired better than Wally who is currently a moaning lump in a chair bundled up in a blanket. (I can say these things because I know I can outrun...outlimp him today!)

It was all Wally's idea. I told my running buddies and somehow convinced them to join in the madness. At first it was actually fun, running together on Saturdays, adding mileage each week. The week we did 10 miles I felt GREAT! I felt so confident I even considered training for a full marathon. Reality hit me the week we did 12 miles. 12.3 to be exact. I fell apart and chalked it up to just a bad run. But today was d-day. Once again, I felt great at 10 miles and at 12 miles I fell apart. The last 1.1 miles was the toughest 1.1 miles I have ever run. It was cold and windy and uphill. That is correct--we live in Texas and it was cold (16 with the wind chill) and uphill. The last 0.1 mile was up a steep hill (how rude to put the finish line uphill!) and I really wanted to walk (actually what I really wanted was to stop!) but somehow I managed a slow trot to the end. Everyone says that adrenaline will carry you through to the end but they lie. What carries you through to the end is the desire to make the pain cease. We survived. It wasn't pretty, but we survived! 2 hours 12 minutes for me, 2 hours 13 minutes for Wally.

A Father's Love

Since Wally said that Chloe can't have a little sister, I guess he'll have to do. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider, Honey?

Surprise and Disappointment

If I were to compile a list of adjectives that describe me, the words "fun" and "spontaneous" would not be in the top 10....or 50. I occasionally feel sorry for my kids, since I'm just not really a fun mom. (Unlike my friend Danielle who took her kids ice blocking at the storm drain--where else can you find a hill in Texas?--with bicycle helmets on for safety!) Big sigh....I can't live up to that, but in an effort to be fun, we decided to take the kids on a surprise trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. On the day before Thanksgiving (half price Wednesday!), Wally and I told the kids that we needed to run some errands. Of course they wanted to know where we were going and so I started making things up...ummmm, "we need to go to Costco and Target," I told them. Upon hearing "Target" their little eyes lit up. We all LOVE Target except Wally who reminds me that I am shopping the competition and putting him out of a job. They ran to their piggy banks and pulled out some money. "Sweet!" I thought, now they can buy themselves a souvenir! We piled into the mini-van and started driving. After passing two Costos, Kelsie began to get suspicious. "Where are we going?" she demanded. "Hang on, we're almost there" we reassured her. And then the "Are we there yets?" started. At this point Wally and I were both starting to get a little edgy. The "we're almost theres" were replaced with "JUST WATCH THE MOVIE!" Good thing we were truly almost there. We started following the exit signs for the Fort Worth Zoo and Kelsie excitedly exclaimed "Jackson, we're going to the zoo!"


We had a wonderful time! The weather was perfect, the crowds were small, and the Fort Worth zoo is an amazing place. In the future, we'll plan on packing a lunch. Something about eating a burger at the zoo makes me feel uncomfortable... At the end of our trip we took the kids into a souvenir shop. They browsed for a minute but decided they would save their money for....Target. That's where the disppointment came in. As I explained that we're not really going to Target, I broke their sweet little hearts. Next time I feel like trying to be fun, we'll go to the dollar spot at Target.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Wallace! We wish we could be there to celebrate with you. We love you!

Kelsie, Jackson, and Chloe

Anniversary

Don't faint. I know this is the third posting this month. Soon life will be crazy and I will have to take a sabbatical again.

Last week marked the third anniversary of our arrival in Texas. It's amazing how fast the time has gone by and yet we still feel like newbies. Since we have been here, our family has grown by one (well two if you add the arrival of Wally's t.v.--we all spend plenty of quality time with Vizio). We have survived torrential rain, tornado warnings, summer heat, and ice storms. We have experienced loneliness, a few unexpected tragedies, and amazing growth. We have endured two road trips to Utah and have gained a greater sense of gratitude for the Pioneers. We have learned why we are told to "become as a little child" as we have watched our incredible kids grow and flourish. We have developed a deeper gratitude for our families. Oh yeah, and we have become Cowboys fans.

Since we have now been here for three years, here are three things we love about Texas:

• Winter, Spring, and Fall
• The people! We love our neighborhood, community, and ward.
• The schools.

Three things that we could really do without:

• All the creepy, crawly things (fireants, really big spiders, lizards)
• Having to pay to drive on the roads
• Year-round allergies

When we moved here, it was with the intent to stay for a couple of years and then go home. I never expected that this would become home, but as the years go by the roots go deeper. I still get homesick and miss my family, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

Retraction

Remember when I posted that Chloe hasn't hit the terrible two's and that she is just a happy, fun-loving, energetic girl that brings joy to our lives? I need to retract that.

This week Chloe developed a major attitude. It all started when Wally came home from work on Monday. Chloe took one look at him and said "Daddy, I don't like you." (Time out for Chloe). Two days ago we were all eating dinner-- except for Chloe. She was spinning. I told her several times to sit down and eat her dinner. With a pout on her face she climbed up in her chair and yelled "You're ruining my life!" Last night she exclaimed that she was NOT happy. "What's the matter princess?" I asked. She angrily muttered something about her magic wand and then added "BUT I CAN'T WORRY ABOUT THAT!" Maybe she skipped the terrible twos and landed in the terrible teens. Any suggestions?

Our Little Goblins

Halloween is not Wally's favorite holiday. Why, you ask? First, he does not get the day off from work, therefore, Halloween is not an actual holiday. Second, he's not big on neighborhood kids coming to our house begging for candy. But seriously, how can you not LOVE Halloween when your kids are as cute as ours? (I admit that I am a little biased.)

This year Kelsie and her friends chose to be beauty queens, tiara and all (what can I say, we live in Texas!) Jackson was a clone trooper (it's a Star Wars thing) and Chloe discovered her true identity as a fairy princess. (If you ask Chloe what she was for Halloween she wil tell you "a pink dress." Then she will go into a long story of how we don't have a Tinkerbell movie because she has to go pee-pee and poo-poo on the potty first.) Before we hit the pavement to do our trick-or-treating, we went to our neighborhood's Fall Festival where the kids got to decorate pumpkins, play games, go on a carriage ride, and eat warm peach cobbler and hot chocolate in 85 degree weather! Aaahhhh...Halloween in Texas! At the end of the day, everybody was tired and happy, even Wally the Halloween Grinch.