Fun with Friends, Little and Big

With all the snow that has been keeping us inside, the kids and I have been visiting friends over the past few school-free days. I AM SICK OF SNOW! Today, I'm going to drive to the west side of town just to run on the paths that get cleared.

Denise and Lexi had us over for chili one night this week. Maddy, my chili expert, told Denise that she "loved" her chili! (Denise, you may recall I went to the Chili Cook-Off on Maddy's due date trying to persuade her to be born on time. It didn't work, but she does like chili...coincidence?)Lexi got a cool game for Christmas that she showed Harrison and Maddy how to play. They all did such a nice job of taking turns. The game is called Cariboo and it is made especially for toddlers.

Jaime and Carter dropped by later to show us her new car, so the kids snuggled up together to watch "Jungle Book" while the adults talked.

I actually had a Girl's Night Out last night since Maddy and Harrison were at their Dad's house. Denise, Jaime, Carrie, and I went out to eat at the Old Town Bistro. Nothing beats a dinner with good friends that make you laugh. These girls are celebrities too! A city councilman at another table bought us desserts! Sorry no pics!

Later, I met up with these guys at Oeno's Wine Bar. Nick is a good friend of mine who plays the guitar in my church band on Saturday nights. He also plays guitar and sings in a real band called, The Smuggling Yo Yo's! The girl sitting next to me is Stefanie. She rode the century ride with me in Arizona and she says she is going to do the Philadelphia Triathlon with me in June. (You'd better get to training girl!) We had just ordered two "flights" of wine. This is where they bring you three small glasses of wine so you can taste several varieties without drinking an entire glass of wine. So, it looks like we are really partying it up, but I was home in bed by midnight!

Christmas Day 2007

Christmas is definitely for kids. It was a joy to watch the kids open their gifts today. I am still trying to teach them to say "thank you" and be gracious. However, they are just kids and they want to get to the next surprise. Personally, I struggle with over-indulging them with mountains of toys at this time of year. I know that probably sounds bad, but I want them to understand the joy of "giving". I know as they age, they will understand this concept better.

On that note, these two made out like bandits! First thing this morning we had a visit from Santa (aka Rick, a good friend of mine married to my friend Amy #1).

Harrison told Santa his age and that he had been a good boy.

Santa brought Maddy lots of new "Groovy Girls" furniture. Very Cool!

Next, we had a wonderful brunch at Dad and Mary Pat's house. Grandpa & Grandma Wix, Uncle Bill, Brandy, Jeff and Felish were all there. Then, we opened more gifts!

Posing with some of their new toys...some very cute dinosaurs.

We spent our evening at Grandma Vicky's house.What is it with black olives? Both my kids love them and this is only way to eat them!

My cuties!

This stuffed unicorn comes with registration papers to name a real star after Maddy! She saw this at a store we were in one day and then asked Santa for it later. She about went nuts looking for it when I put her to bed tonight.

Harrison and the boys playing with his new remote control car. Thank you Rick and Uncle Jeff for getting all the toys out of the packages. Between the molded plastic, the 49 twisty ties, and the screw attaching the toy to a piece of cardboard, you guys freed all the toys! Lucky me! Frustration free! (One must imagine the meetings the toy company exec's have dreaming up new ways to frustrate parents with their packaging on Christmas day...Pure evil!)

Harrison supplying Uncle Jeff with a screw driver to free his toy from the package!

Me, Grandma Fry, and Vicky...three generations of smart women! (Kelly is also included, but she is taking the picture) (Maddy is a fourth generation smartie!) Can you believe Grandma Fry is 96 years old?!

I am so blessed to have great family. Thank you all for a day filled with laughter and memories. Now, whose up for some shopping? I've got some gift cards to spend!

One of Maddy's gifts, a pink V-Tech laptop. Future blogger?

Christmas Eve

One of our yearly Christmas traditions is to make sugar cookies. I remember doing this with my mother and Aunt Vicky when I was little. It is even one of my favorite final memories of my mother. I had come home from Texas and we made them together the Christmas before she passed away. Well, the tradition lives on....

Maddy is totally into decorating. Harrison is more into, well, eating...

Couldn't have done it without Kelly and Grandma Vicky! The cookies were already baked, the frosting was ready to go, and there were sprinkles ("parkels" as Harrison calls them) galore! Another successful year!

Lightning, Thunder, and SNOW!

Saturday was the official "First Day of Winter". Wichita started off the day with approximately seven inches of snow. Frankly, it seemed more like a foot of snow, and in some places, it was more than that due to the wind. I took the kids to the grocery store early because we had no food in the house. It was snowing lightly as we entered the store, but when we came back out, the light snow had turned into a down-right blizzard. Maddy and Harrison thought it was hilarious watching me throw the groceries in the car, then enter the car myself, wind-blown and covered with snow. I could hardly see ten feet in front of my car. Driving was scary. However, the oddest part of the whole drive home was seeing lightning and hearing thunder as the snow blew across the road. It kind of gave you that feeling that the world was coming to an end. What a strange weather phenomenon! (The previous day, the temperature was 57 degrees and beautiful!)

My Passion!

I've been running for years. I've never been fast, I've just always loved running. This is where I've done by best thinking. It is a cheap sport and cheap counseling. I ran while pregnant with both of my children. I run while on vacation everywhere I go (what a great way to see a new place). I run with both of my children now (thank God for the double babyjogger). I run in the heat. I run in the cold. I will run until I just can't do it anymore.


However, I have found a new love...biking! This sport caught me off guard last fall when I joined a health club. I met the most incredible woman. This lady is a professional triathlete. She also is motivating! After one spin class with her, I was addicted. One thing led to another and next thing you know, I bought a road bike and was on the verge of changing my life forever.

Through this two-wheeled vehicle, I have met some of the most inspiring people I know. They have given me the encouragement to push myself and better myself in many ways. I did not realize that I had such potential to crank the wheels of a bike so well. Even better, the more I bike, the better I run! So with that, I want to thank all those people who told me to "go for it". Sharon, the "tri queen" who is going to whip me into shape this spring. Travis, my cycling coach who whipped me into shape for the Tour de Tucson. Don, who always challenges me up a hill. Ria, who has always told me I could do it...and now she is going to join me. Travis, Dale, and Dave for the "hammer rides". Amy "Preacher" who was the only other girl that challenged me. And all my family, friends, co-workers and students who supported my big race last fall.


Now, I'm doing it again! I'm raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma by preparing for the Philadelphia Triathlon in June. Don't worry. I'm hitting up corporate sponsors this time. This is so exciting for me. This is something I love to do. Helping raise funds to support cancer research is a way for me to give back. Meeting the people who have used that money is sobering. Riding with people who are passionate about something like myself is fulfilling. Crossing the finish line is awesome!

The Tour de Tucson Team In Training Group at the finish line. One hundred and nine miles completed. Go Team Kansas!

Christmas Fun with Grandma Vicky and Aunt Kelly

Last night we heard the sleigh bells jingling as we enjoyed our annual sleigh ride through Bradley Fair. The kids and I did this last year and they just loved it! This year Grandma Vicky and Aunt Kelly joined us. The night couldn't have been better! The chill in the air definitely made it feel like Christmas, but there was no wind! Even though we ride through a shopping center parking lot, it really is a fun time!

This was our "sleigh"
This is a "Dutch Letter". I received a bag of these "letters" from one of my students with baking instructions. I had never received a gift like this before, but I MUST know where Jack's mother purchased these. They are sooooooo yummy! They have a nutty filling of some kind, but I haven't figured out exactly what it is yet! Best student gift ever!

Blogging is Better with Photos!

Yippee! I figured out the problem and here are birthday party photos! Harrison is a "Thomas the Tank Engine" fan. Even though he already owns a lot of these little trains, he received more for his birthday and has been playing with them ever since! He also loves the movie "Cars". This is his other favorite toy. I love watching him line up all his trains and cars, then make noises and have them "talk" to each other! He is one happy three year old!
You will notice that all the party attendees were girls! I will not approve of this in a few years, but for now, we thought it was pretty cute. Pictured are Lexi (what she is doing with her hand, her mother and I haven't figured out?!), Hannah and Emma, friends from daycare, and big sister, Maddy. They all had a fun time!

Maddy is learning to read and write. It is amazing to watch this process. She is just so proud of herself. This picture is of her first sentence ever! I love "yo" too baby!

Hitting the wall already!

I've gotten so much positive feedback from all my friends and family on this blog. Many thanks! I've been producing a nice diary of the last few days, but my laptop is not cooperating with my camera. Therefore, today's post is without pictures at this point. I'll talk to some of my techy friends and figure this whole mess out soon.

Basically, it's been "Party-Central" around here. Between Christmas parties and Harrison's 3rd birthday, we've been visiting with family and friends nonstop! (Here is where photos would be great!) There are more coming this weekend!

Sorry for the photo-less post. Stay tuned.

On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!

At the beginning of each race I do I have tons of adrenaline surging through my body. That is exactly how I feel with this blogging endeavor! I have started this blog for my family, friends, and myself (just to see if I could do it). Just as one paces themselves during a race, I intend to pace myself with this blog attempt. My goal is to update at least once a week, but as I get better and quicker at it, you could possibly see me updating more often.

I've been enjoying so many of my friends' blogs, that I couldn't help but think my own family and friends would enjoy seeing just exactly what goes on in my crazy, fast-paced life. Hence the reason for the blog name, Racing Through Life (But enjoying every minute of it!). I am truly blessed with a good life. Being a single mother of two, working, staying fit, enjoying family, and hanging out with my friends, is about as fun and hectic as it gets! This is life.

Therefore, today, since school has been cancelled due to an ice storm, I finally have time to start my new adventure. Thank you to my good friends, Denise and Jaime, for leading the way. Even more thanks to James for the "happy" photo of the Harrison, Maddy and me. She went with my crazy vision of a "fun and happy" photo during a recent Sunday afternoon. Kids don't always do what adults want them to, so we jumped a lot trying to get our picture. The photo collage cards have been ordered, and you'll all soon have your copy in the mail! (If you want one and I don't have your mailing address, get it to me soon!)

Now, I must entertain two children who are stuck inside on this winter day. On your mark, get set, go!