Tractors for TJ

Junior had a birthday party for one of his friends this weekend.  He picked out a box of monster trucks for him.  When we got home, I realized that I didn’t have a bag big enough to wrap the present.  So what did I do?  Yup, I whipped up a backpack to put the present in.

I had some John Deere fabric in my stash.  I was actually kind of surprised considering the majority of my sewing lately has been for Girly- girl or purses =)

The backpack ended up a bit bigger than I was expecting.  But, that’s all right.  Mr. TJ said it was his as soon as he saw it =)

The backpack has two inside pockets.  The larger of the two is divided into three sections and then the smaller of the two is sewn part way into the middle.  The flap closes with two magnetic clasps.  The straps are padded and there is a handle on the top of the bag.

Closed: Purse- onality Giveaway

Yes, it’s been awhile.  What can I say but I’ve been busy with everyday life and an extended vacation.  But, to make up for it, I have 3 new purses for your viewing pleasure.  And one lucky reader will win one of them!

The first one is Pink Rhapsody.

This one has a pocket on the inside and a pocket on the outside- where the two different fabrics come together.

Next is the Harper bag.

This is a nice circular tote bag with an extended top.  And I’m sorry, but it does not fit across the body on adults =)

There are no pockets on this one.

Then we have the Pressley bag.

The Pressley is quilted and has an interior pocket.

One lucky reader will win their pick of the bags.  And then the other 2 will be for sale.  First come, first serve =)  And how do you win?  Easy.  Just leave a comment on this post.  I’ll have random.org pick a winner next week Friday (September 24th). 

Three Things

1)  

Who knew boxes could be so fun.  They played jack- in- the- box for at least an hour.

2)  My dad is very talented and creative.  He’s made a rocking chair for all three of the kiddos now.

3)  Life has gotten crazy and busy since we got back from vacation.  The two older ones have started AWANA.  Junior is still taking karate two nights a week and now Girly- girl wants to join him.  Of course Junior- junior says “What about me?” every time they go, but he’s still a bit too young.

DRC Breakfast Bash 5 Miler

Yesterday I had the chance to run the DRC Breakfast Bash.

A couple friends and I at the end of the race.

It was an absolutely perfect day to run a race: nice and cool with hardly any humidity... I think we were still in TX =)

I got to the race nice and early and eventually met up with everyone. We stood around chatting for awhile and then L and I took off on a short warm up run. Yes, we're overachievers =) We got back to the start line and waited for the horn. There were probably close to 800 runners, so it took a bit to finally get across the line. Once across, I started weaving in and around other runners as I settled into my pace.

First mile went by pretty quick. The crowd started to thin out and I was able to settle in. AP: 7:47

During the second mile, I had to cross a bridge. This is the same bridge that gave me issues back in June... It was a surreal feeling to be running and then to have the bridge moving under you. But, I was ready for it this time and it didn't throw me off stride. AP: 7:30

The turnaround was at 2.5 miles (gotta love the hairpin turn arounds ;)) and I was able to cheer on my friends as we passed each other. What a great feeling =) AP: 7:32.

Into the fourth mile and it was back across the bridge. Was ready for it, but still got thrown off stride a little. There were a lot more people on the bridge this time. AP: 7:32

With about 0.75 miles left, I started to pick up the pace. Just started focusing on the people in front of me and started picking them off. Getting close to the finish, but not quite there =) AP: 7:07

The last 0.08 miles was an all out sprint. AP: 5:51 for 29 seconds =)

My finish time by the clock was 38:12, by my Garmin it was 38:00. Woo hoo! My fastest 5 miler since college =)

Once I got out of the finish chute, I headed back out to cheer on everyone else. A couple minutes after I finished, I was able to run in with L. Then I headed back out. Next, I was able to push J to kick it in at the finish. I went back out one last time to catch A, but I missed her =(

We all met back up and headed up the hill to grab some breakfast. We had breakfast burritos, donuts, bananas, coffee and lots of other drinks.  While I was grabbing some water, I had an older gentleman tell me the he thought my shoes (bright blue VFF's) were kind of sexy…

Once the results were posted, we checked them out. I was listed as 3rd in my age group and 19th overall. But, when they called the results, I wasn't called =( Turns out they listed another runner in my age group in with the men and once they realized their mistake, I ended up 4th and 20th overall... I think. I haven't seen the official results posted yet.

Even with the disappointment over the results, I had a great day meeting up with friends and running.  Thanks for a great day!

Three Things

1) I love winning blog giveaways.  A couple weeks ago, I got a email that I had won this :

It came in the mail while we were on vacation, so I finally got it yesterday.  Sarge has already claimed it for himself =)

2) It was a great vacation.  I loved getting to see our friends and family again.  The kids enjoyed spending lots of time with grandparents.

3) It’s always a great feeling to get home after a long vacation.  Except now I have no motivation to clean and unpack…

Eisenbahn Half Marathon

The last 2 weeks I've been off vacationing in northern MN and southern WI. While I was visiting my parents, I had the opportunity to run a half marathon with my dad.

The Eisenbahn Half was almost a comedy in errors. We left the finish area to be bussed to the start, except for the fact that our bus driver didn't know where the start was. Thankfully we ran into a couple ladies who lived close to the start and were walking there as a warm up. They were able to direct us to the start.

The start line was on a little country road out in the middle of nowhere. There would have been barely enough room for two cars to pass each other. The port-o-potties were all lined up on the side of the road. Add 200 runners, and you have very little room for cars to get by. Every time a car came through, the line pressed up as close to the port-o-potties as possible. Thankfully I was one of the first in line and didn't have to experience that =)

My dad and I at the start line.

Once the race started and the crowd thinned out, it got a lot better. My dad and I took off and the first 2 miles were on country roads. Right around 2 miles, the course joined up with the Eisenbahn Trail system. It's a converted rail bed made of crushed/ packed limestone. Not too much of a challenge for a normal runner, but I was wearing my VFF's =). My pace slowed a bit as a had to watch the trail closely to make sure I wasn't stepping on any large rocks. The next 9 miles were on this trail with a few road crossings.

Just past mile 11, the trail switched from gravel to paved. Oh, it felt like heaven lol! My pace drastically improved and my dad had a hard time keeping up =)

My dad and I at the finish.

Official stats:
Time: 1:47: 28
AP: 8:12 (although the last 2 miles were @ 7:40)
overall place: 18/ 197
females: 5/ 134
age group: 1/ 56

My dad and I were a little bummed to hear that they weren't giving out age group awards. We both took first (he was first for M60-99) and it would have been nice to get something. Or maybe I've just gotten spoiled at all the other races I've run this year =)