Florida trip- part2

We did leave the beach on occasion, but only for more adventures.  Destin is a very family friendly place and when we heard about this pirate ship cruise that caters to young kids, we knew it would be a hit, and it definitely was!

Here we are on the top deck enjoying the view.

 After a few blasts from the cannon, we left the harbor and the pirate crew led the kids in several pirate activities, like...

SWORD FIGHTING, and...

 GUN FIGHTING (did I mention my kids LOVED this cruise?), and...

 DECK CLEANING!  Ha!  that's right, after the water gun fight, they told the kids that the pirate crew now had to clean the deck and they brought out a bucket and mops.  Robby was absolutely hilarious.  They cranked up the music and most of the kids danced around and played with their mops, but Robby took his deck cleaning duties very seriously.  You could see the look on his face and he meant business.  I could just see him thinking to himself, "I gotta clean this deck.  Oh, look over there.  It's another wet spot.  Better mop it up...and over there..."  I could not stop laughing as I watched him attack that deck.

 Then, they did some face painting to make the kids look like real pirates.  Oh man, again, could not stop laughing.  A ship full of little kids who looked like little pirates.

 And the best part was, the kids helped pull up a treasure chest from the ocean and each got a couple treasures.

 Pretty much, they nailed it.  This activity was so perfect for my boys and we had a pretty good time watching them (and darn it, why do I not have a picture of little Callie with her beard and mustache?...funniest thing ever).

Waco Wild West

One of John's favorite rides is the Waco Wild West. He's done it four years in a row. He loves it because the weather is cooler, it's a good ride, and it's sponsored by Mars candy company so they hand out free candy, but most of all he loves it because they always have great t-shirts.

when Jen and I were deciding what ride to do for our big event this season, we decided the Waco Wild West would be the perfect ride for us- a girl's weekend getaway with a bike ride- perfect! When I approached John with the idea, he agreed on one condition: that I get the t-shirt in his size instead of mine so that he could have it. Done.

Jen has a good friend who lives in Waco who agreed to let us sleep at her house the night before so that we wouldn't have to drive down the day of the event- so sweet! So Friday evening we loaded up the bikes and headed off. But first we had to take a few pics, and we decided it would only be fitting that we pose the same way our husbands had a several weeks prior when they went to the Hotter'n Hell. Neither of them wanted us taking their picture that day so in most of the shots they're either pulling faces or looking grumpy. As we drove away we wondered if the boys would get together and have a sleep-over just like we did...probably NOT.

Our photo:

theirs:

It was a fun get-away. During the hour and a half drive down we talked and laughed and laughed, and laughed. We stopped and had a quiet dinner with no children and no carb counting for me. Heaven. Then we did a little shopping at the outlet mall.

After we arrived at Jen's friend's house we chatted for a bit and then headed off to bed. A sleep-over with two grown women= more laughing.

Saturday morning. Race day. Bright and early we headed off. We got to the park, walked over and registered for the race and then set to work getting our gear together. As Jen was inflating her tires, the unthinkable happened- her tire blew. Now let me preface this with a little information. Having ridden for several years, John has shown me on countless occasions how to change a flat tire. During our "married without kids" days, it was a regular topic for family home evening. He figured I did enough riding alone to know how to change my own flat. Well....I've never actually had to do it. Every time Jen and I left for a ride, our husbands would ask us if we had tools, a pump, and extra tubes. We would always reply, "Ummmm...I'll just take the cell phone instead." We just always figured that by the time either of us got it figured out, we could have had our roadside assistance (that's our husbands) out and back and the tire fixed.

So before we left for our race, we joked that the one time we were riding far away from home would be the one time we got a flat.

Sure enough, there we were. The race hadn't even started yet and our worst fear was coming to fruition. HOWEVER, on the bright side, this flat happened at the best possible time. Most races are sponsored by a local bike shop and they usually have a support tent set up to help take care of basic maintenance and minor problems before a race. I could tell that Jen was on the verge of panic, so I assured her we wouldn't have to fix the tire ourselves and we hot-footed it over to the Specialized tent and got the tire fixed, only to have that one pop as the dude was seating the new tube! Glad it wasn't us trying to fix the tire and that is exactly why I hate changing my own tire...what happens when you pop your spare tube and you're not at the Specialized tent with skilled professionals??? Second tube went in, bike was working, and we lined up just in time for the National Anthem and the start of the race. Whew!

(here we are posing for a quick picture with the dead tire)

The event was great. We started out with a good pace and enjoyed the chance to ride and talk some more and do some quality people watching, of course. When we got to mile 25 it was decision time. This was where the various routes split. Up until this point we hadn't decided which mileage we were going to ride- it was either 50 miles or the metric century (62.5 miles). We had heard from other riders that this ride was advertised as metric century, but was actually closer to 65...So it came down to 50miles or 65. I think we both knew going in that we wanted to accomplish more than the 50 miler, but we both recognized that it would mean an extra hour on the bike, and after 50 miles that can be....well, painful. Plus, this was Jen's first big ride and I didn't want her to hate me for it. We actually didn't even really discuss it. When we got to the split off all we had to do was say, "You good? I'm good. Okay. Let's go for it" And so we did.

And I'm glad we did. It felt good to do something hard. We hit the 50 mile rest area still feeling pretty good. The rest stop is located at the Mars plant. Candy...lots of candy. Just what we needed to get us through what we thought we be the last 15 miles.

We jumped back on our bikes, glad that we would soon be heading back into town for the finish. By the time my computer said 62 miles, we both began to wonder why we weren't closer to town. Our legs were sore and our bums were even worse off. The wind was beginning to seriously start to pick up. It was time to be done! We were concerned as to why we weren't closer to the finish. By the time we got to mile 65 we were riding through the city with other tired and confused riders...where was the finish line...were we lost...and why were we still riding?!? Finally we saw the cop cars blocking every intersection through the middle of town leading to the finish, so we knew we were on the right path- whew! We rolled into the finish with 67.95 miles on the clock. As we asked around, we overheard one of the race organizer explain that the extra three miles were added to avoid some major road construction. All I could think of is how demoralizing those last three miles were...to have to keep going when you thought you should be done already was rough- woulda been nice to know ahead of time! I felt even worse for the riders who thought they were doing 100 miles and ended up doing 103 miles that day.

Once off the bikes, it was time to begin our recovery. First item of business: swinging by the Mars tent for a helmet full of candy! Sweet! (wish I had a picture of that)

Two more stops and then we could head home:

one stop was for beef and salt...a couple burgers and some fries

and one stop for something sweet (as if the load of candy wasn't enough)...kolaches from the Checz bakery

Perfect!

Next time, I'm totally riding with a camera. Here is a list of the things I wish I had a picture of:

*the look on Jen's face when her tire blew...sheer panic...hilarious

*the Maroon Five guy in his man-pris who changed the blown tire

*the sign in the dude's yard who lived out in the middle of nowhere. Sign said Leave my dogs alone. Ride your bikes in your own neighborhood. I have a feeling that if his dogs are getting run over by cyclists, the problem is not the cyclists.

*the dead armadillo in the middle of the road with all four legs straight up in the air- complete rigor mortis. It was as if he got to the middle of the road and gave up.

*the huge herds of longhorn cattle (after passing both the cattle and armadillo in the same mile, Jen breaks into the Texas state song...sung like a true Texan- loud and off key.)

*the look on some poor guy's face as we pass him and Jen says, "You better start riding faster. You're about to get passed by two chicks."

*the itty bitty little girl who couldn't have been more than three or four years old on the back of the tandem with her mom. She was adorable rock'n her spandex shorts, bright jersey, clipless shoes and totally clipped into the pedal extensions. Jen and I couldn't resist chatting with this adorable little cutie. She and her mom were riding the 25 mile course that day.

It was an awesome ride. I can't begin to express how grateful I am for a dear friend like Jen. I can't believe that I am lucky enough to have found a friend who shares so many common interests. And on top of that, we have a GREAT time together. I'm still amazed that we never run out of things to talk about. The Lord is good to me. I'm also grateful for a supportive husband who encourages me to pursue my goals and interests and then provides a way for me to do so by watching the boys any time he can...and not to mention for being willing to be on call for roadside assistance. It's a good thing I was able to thank him with a new shirt.

Hotter'n Hell Hundred

A couple weeks ago was the Hotter'n Hell Hundred. John and Shayne decided to drive down and camp the night before the race. (here they are all ready to set off...little did they know at this point that the tent they packed would not have any poles and they'd have to pick up a new one at Walmart...oops). The race went great and they had a pretty fun time...well, as much fun as you can have riding 100 miles in 100 degree weather.

Since our men would both be gone, Jen and I decided we'd get together with our kids and go out to eat and then hang out. And then I had a stroke of genius...Tyler and Ava have been asking us if they can have a sleep-over together for ages. Since we both believe in "the no sleep-overs" rule, we've always said no. But I figured if Jen came and spent the night in our guest bedroom with her kids then it couldn't really be considered a sleep-over, right? Done deal. We were having ourselves a little sleep-over.

First we went out to eat and then out for frozen yogurt. Jen's expression says it all... "are we seriously crazy enough to take all five of our kids out without back-up?"

I couldn't help snapping this picture of these two. Hopefully, this isn't their only first date together.

When it was time for bed, the kids were pretty good about settling down. But it was quite obvious that Tyler was not used to having a buddy to share his room with. He kept poor Ava and Nolan up with all his excited chatter. It was just almost too exciting for him to handle. Oh well. I hope it was a good memory, considering it was his first and only sleep-over. And of course Jen and I stayed up way to late talking and laughing and trying to ignore the fact that our kids would be up bright and early ready for more "fun."

Good times.

Tour de Fleurs

Where would I be without good friends in my life?

Saturday morning a few friends and I participated in the Tour de Fleurs 10k, except for Tiffany- she went for the gold with the 20k. I had a blast, and I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday than with a few good friends and a good event. Can't wait for the next one!!!

Birthday #30 and Baby #2

Thursday night two of my dear friends, Jen and Kristina, threw me a surprise birthday bash/ baby shower. It was fabulous! Jen had to inform John of the surprise and earlier in the week John feared he had spilled the beans. Lucky for him, I am a little slow to piece things together. I thought I had figured out that Jen and Kris had invited a few extra friends out to ice cream instead of just the three of us going out to celebrate like they had told me. Little did I know that when we arrived at Jen's house to pick her up for our "ice cream outing," several of my sweet friends had gathered to surprise me. And surprised I was!!! It wasn't at all what I was expecting and what a fun change of plans. Although I was thrilled that we were still having ice cream because you just can't change food plans on a pregnant lady like that, especially when it comes to ice cream.

It was so fun to celebrate this little miracle with so many of my dear friends. I was touched by their outpouring of love and support, even though this is my second boy. I loved sorting through and looking at all of the adorable, soft blue baby things. It's like therapy for a very uncomfortable pregnant mommy. It's a sweet reminder that good things are soon to come!!!

I also enjoyed the "baby shower experience" with a different paradigm this time. For so many years, baby showers have been the source of some intense emotions. There were years when we were in the midst of our infertility struggles and it was all I could do to send a gift and my regrets that I wouldn't be able to attend. My feelings were just to raw to participate in such an event. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for the person, it's just that my happiness for that person was entangled too deeply with jealousy, hurt, confusion, desire, and sadness. The years passed and it became a little easier to learn to separate the emotions and set aside my despair and focus on the good.

Then along came Tyler. Of course this made attending the dreaded baby shower much, much easier. At least I had something in common with all the other mommies and I had the desire of my heart. It didn't hurt so badly to see all of those tiny, soft baby clothes and wonder how long I would have to wait in order to have such things for my baby. However, there was still one part of the baby shower that never got easier- the pregnancy and labor and delivery chitter chatter. I get it now. It's part of what we are there to celebrate. It's common to most every one there, and it is such an immensely interesting experience- you can't help but talk about it.

But there was a time when I likened this type of small talk to a trip to Egypt. I felt that every time I attended a baby shower, all of the other attendees had at one time or another been on a trip to Egypt. They talked about every aspect of their individual trips in detail. They compared experiences, events and feelings. And yet I had never been to Egypt, and as far as I knew, I wasn't going. I had come to terms with not going to Egypt because I had been someplace else for my trip, but I still felt the social awkwardness of not having had the same experience. Sure, I was still sad and a little jealous, but I was okay emotionally. I just hadn't figured out how to conquer the social awkwardness that I felt. I asked questions about Egypt and listened politely to every painstaking detail about everyone's trips, but didn't have a whole lot to contribute to the conversation.

So now I'm on my way to Egypt! I'm thrilled in every way possible. I loved my "other trip" but feel so blessed now to enjoy the fullness of experiences that life has to offer. I will always attend every baby shower with the thoughts and feelings and sensitivities that I used to harbor, especially as I consider many dear friends who may never enjoy the same experiences. Life sure is interesting with all of it's twists and turns.

Thanks again everyone for your well wishes and loving support!

Friends

I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately and the impact that so many of my friends have had on my life. Through blogging, I've been reconnected with many friends from my childhood. I've been impressed and inspired by who they have become. They were good examples when I was young and continue to be good examples now.

During my early married years, while serving in the RS presidency, the Lord once again placed great friends in my life. These friends helped me through some difficult times, but also helped me have some serious fun. One night Lynette called me to go out to a movie. It just so happened that I was in the middle of infertility treatments and John was out of town. I told her I could go as long as she was willing to come and give me my shot in the bum. She handled that needle like a pro! (a little scary if you ask me).

I still keep in touch with "my girls"- (the other teachers that I taught first grade with). I don't know if I ever would have survived teaching without them. Penny always knew how to cheer everyone up with a "girl's sleep-over" at her cabin, Arlene could brighten my day with a simple piece of chocolate being thrown at my head in the middle of a math lesson, Lisa was a great listener and always had good advice, and Jaimi- let's just say she and I went to the same infertility doc, had the same adoption case worker, taught next door to each other, and each adopted our babies within six months of each other- coincidence? I think not!

I've also been so grateful for the friends that the Lord has placed in my life since we moved here to Texas. Last week, John was out of town so Kristina and Jen ditched book club to spend an evening with me. I loved and appreciated their company. They always know just what I need (typically good food and a lot of laughs)!

The Lord has very carefully place each of these people (and many, many others) in my life during very specific times to meet my very specific needs. What a blessing!

I was reading in the New Testament in John 1:43-51. Jesus goes into Galilee and finds Phillip. He says to Phillip, "Follow me." Phillip then goes to find his friend Nathanael. He tells him that Jesus, who was prophesied to come, is here. Nathanael then asks if anything good can come from Nazareth. Phillip says, "Come and see."

I picture these two as being old friends- the kind that have grown up together, studied together, worked together, and played together (that's just gospel according to Carrie). But I love that when Phillip finds Christ, he wants nothing more then for his friend to also see Jesus. His loving, inviting words to his friend, "Come and see" have been in my mind as I have thought of all the ways my friends over the years have invited me to "Come and see."

I have been so blessed during every stage of my life to have had friends who have led me to Christ simply because of the way they chose to live their lives. The Lord knows that I am the type of person that NEEDS friends, and in some cases I have literally prayed them into my life (but that story is for another post). I am so grateful for the friends that He has placed along my path who have uplifted, inspired, taught, supported, and cared for me, and who have ultimately invited me to “come and see.”