Balloon Fest 10K Race

Since she was recovering from a severe cold, my friend Amanda called me yesterday and asked me if I wanted to take her place in today’s Balloon Fest 10K race. Cameron encouraged me to run so I agreed. I’ve been following a 10K training schedule so I was somewhat prepared for the race.

Last night Cameron and I had a great pasta dish so I could fill up with carbohydrates before the race. He also advised me to drink a lot of water throughout the day to hydrate myself. I have to take all the advice from him since he has more experience in running than me.

This was my first 10K (6.2 miles) race and it was fun. Well, the last mile and a half were pretty tough and I wanted it to be over, but overall it was fun! I wanted to beat 55 minutes or a 9 minute mile pace; Cameron was pretty confident that I was going to be able to beat it since it is common to always run faster during a race.

The race started at 8:00 AM; it was a chilly morning but it was perfect for running.

I took Cameron’s GPS to keep track of my time and my pace. The official results have not been posted yet. The GPS time was 52:45 with an average of 8:22/mi and clock time was 53:41 (per the picture below) and I’m sure the chip time will be somewhere in between both times.

I was excited to have beaten my expectations; I was even third in my age group! Cameron prayed in the morning and thanked the Lord for our physical ability to run and exercise!

Five minutes before the race:

Notice the hot air balloons in the back:

The fast runners separating themselves from the rest of us; the only girl in the picture was the overall female winner:

A few seconds after the race had started (I was trying to pose for the camera):

Fifty-two minutes later:

Six Flags

Last Saturday Cameron and I had the opportunity to go to Six Flags in Arlington, TX (Dallas). We left Abilene early in the morning and got there around 10:30.

Sharon, Matt’s mother-in-law, joined a clog dance group and they had a performance in Six Flags along with other dance groups. We met with Matt and his family, Sharon and Jackie, and Annie and her family (Matt’s sister-in-law). We all had a great time.

We were able to ride all of the big roller coasters; we started with Mr. Freeze and ended with the wooden coaster The Texas Giant.

Arriving at Six Flags:

Entrance to Mr. Freeze:

Cameron watching over Aaron:

Same shirt? Yes

Was it planned?

Goofy Aaron:

Aaron, Isabelle, and Jacob with Daffy Duck and Buggs Bunny:

Silverster the cat and the kiddos:

"Mmhh, funnel cake!"

After Six Flags, Jackie and Sharon invited us all to a German restaurant outside Ft. Worth. The restaurant had live music and a dance floor which the kids enjoyed the most.

Music lady playing the saw:

Aaron and the "Chicken Dance"

I tried to get a nice smile from Isabelle, but I failed!

Matt and Jenny:

Sharon and Jackie - thanks for inviting us to dinner!!

Unexpected advanced birthday celebration:

Annie, Justin, Jacob and Cam:

Shooting Range

Our friends Brian and Amanda invited us to the shooting range on Saturday. I never thought I would say this but I LOVE shooting! A year ago I wouldn’t even touch a gun and now I’m hitting the targets every time I shoot! I owe this to my wonderful husband who introduced me to guns.

We had a great time!

Cameron and Brian getting the ammunition ready:

Don't forget those ear plugs!:

Brian giving instructions to his sister Meagan on how to shoot the Taurus .357 (Safety First):

Amanda shooting the Taurus .357:

Caro shooting the Taurus .357 (it is a beautiful gun):

Cameron shooting the Glock 9mm:

The first time I shot the Glock 9mm was in November of last year. The gun has a powerful kick and I felt very uncomfortable and scared shooting it. I shot it for the second time on Saturday and I love it (I guess I’m more familiar with the guns and now I feel comfortable shooting them). I shot it five times and all of the shots hit the target; two of them were very close to the center. I couldn’t believe it!

I was so excited that I had to take a picture of the target:

Brian and Cameron getting ready to shoot Brian's AR-15 (this is a great gun for shooting hogs):

Brian taking aim with the AR-15:

Meagan trying her hand at the AR-15

And Caro's turn:

And Cam:

Who's angels (Meagan, Caro, and Amanda)?

Family Reunion - Grand Haven, MI

Cameron and I went to Grand Haven, Michigan last Friday for the annual family reunion. We had planned our trip since May and no one knew we were going except John and Nancy (my in-laws). It was great to see the reaction of everyone when they first saw us! I was blessed to spend time with Cameron’s family and getting to know them more; they are great!

Our flight left from Dallas and flew into Lansing, MI (capital city of the state and about an hour and a half from Grand Haven). Cameron had described Lake Michigan in Grand Haven as the ocean but with sweet water. The lake was amazingly beautiful!

After mingling and meeting everyone, we all had dinner at a local pizzeria. The pizzas were very tasty (our party of eight ordered six pizzas and they were all gone!).

Waiting to be seated:

Our first night in Grand Haven - South Pier (you can see the moon behind us):

Every day we walked about 30 minutes to have breakfast at The Morning Star Café. The walk was worth it; breakfast was delicious and very filling.

The food is served in Fiesta dinnerware:

We had the opportunity to visit the farmers’ market that was next to the marina. They had a great variety of fruits, vegetables, honeys, flowers and breads. Cameron and I bought tomatoes and jalapeños and made salsa for that night’s cookout. We were glad that everyone enjoyed the salsa!

Shopping in town:

In the Marina (look at the luxurious yacht behind us):

House where we had our cookout:

Uncle Mike cooking the burgers and hot dogs:

Gramps and Mark during the cookout:

Since we walked everywhere, we were only able to fit one long distance run. We ran from our hotel, thru neighborhoods and then to the beach. We relaxed in the beach as we were waiting for Nancy, Grampa and Aunt Jan.

Before our run:

After our run - relaxing at the beach:

Getting ice cream after our run (thanks Aunt Jan!):

Enjoying our ice cream and relaxing next to the canal:

The canal built by the Corps of Engineers:

The beach and Lake Michigan:

The Light House and South Pier:

We had Chicago Dogs our last day in Grand Haven:

On our way to the Pier to watch the sunset:

We had a great time with our family and we are looking forward to seeing them again!